My Little Star
by Zeraphic Triomis
Summary: Barret leaves Marlene once again, but he leaves Tifa and Vincent to look after her. Marlene has a few thoughts about Vincent, but she quickly realizes that there's much more in a person than just looks. What fun things await them? Find out! COMPLETED
1. Knowing Each Other

A/N: A special story dedicated to the most adorablest FF7 character… Marlene! (big smile) I wanted to try something different. This was tough for me to write… considering it's a four-year-old telling it and… I have to resist using big words. I might have squeezed in a few but… oh well. We can just say Marlene knows her vocabulary a whole lot. (nervous grin)

Disclaimer: FF7 doesn't belong to meee… only the idea of the story and so on and so forth.

**My Little Star**  
Chapter One

Knowing Each Other

Today was such a beautiful day! The sun was shining so brightly and Kalm was as lively as ever! My Papa had just returned a few days ago from his travels with Cloud. He had obviously missed me so much… I still can't shake the feeling of his tight hugs out of me. But, I'm used to them already. I missed him a whole bunch, too! It had been at least two months since I saw him last time. I was hoping that he would stay in Kalm with me forever now. But, that dream ended one night.

My Papa had gotten a very important call from one of his friends in North Corel. They said they needed Papa to help them fix a few things there. So, in no time, my Papa packed his things and was ready to leave. But… I didn't want him to leave so soon! It was like he just came back one second ago!

It was in the middle of the night. I heard Papa close the front door of the house we were staying in. (loudly…) I raced down the stairs as fast as I could and burst the door open. I saw him standing next to two of his friends. Papa noticed me as I hugged his arm tightly.

"Please! I don't want you to go! Not yet!" I begged.

He kneeled down in front of me as he pulled me close to him. "I'm sorry, Marlene. But, it's something I can't ignore. My friends need my help."

"B-But!"

"Don't worry. I'll be back in a few days. I promise."

I held back a sniff. "O-Okay."

Papa stood up and looked to his friends. I did the same also. I recognized Tifa… but there was someone else too. I tilted my head and walked next to Papa.

"Marlene, while I'm gone. Vince and Tifa will be looking after you," he smiled at that.

My head perked up. "B-But, why?" I frowned at the tall man with long black hair. I had a feeling that I wasn't going to like his company... Papa seemed to notice me shivering behind his arm. He lifted an eyebrow then turned his head to the scary man, who looked a little confused.

"Vince! I expect you and Tifa to take care of my Marlene. The other's said they had things to do… and you were the only two available. I just don't want Marlene to feel bored while I'm gone."

Tifa nodded her head. "Of course, Barret. I would love to look after her again," she smiled and kneeled in front of me. "Right, Marlene? It'll be like old times."

A smile slowly appeared on my face. I always loved being around Tifa… especially in her bar. She would always hold me tightly whenever I cried about my Papa. I was glad that we could be with each other again. But… why did Papa have to call in a scary man? I didn't think that we would be around as much.

"Well, I guess I'm off!" Papa patted my head. "Don't worry, Marlene. I'll be back sooner or later. The moment you feel that you really need me, I'll be back in a blink of an eye!" He walked right out of Kalm without saying another word.

I ran into Tifa's arms and cried. "I-I miss him already!"

"Now, now. Like he said, he'll be back before you know it. So, let's go tuck you back into bed."

I felt my tears drying away. I clapped my hands. "Oh! And tell me a bed time story, like before?"

"Okay! And Uncle Vincent will help us with that!"

The tall man lifted an eyebrow at that. I couldn't help but giggle. 'Uncle' didn't really fit such a scary man like him. He just shrugged his shoulders and followed us back inside my house.

Once inside, I hopped onto my bed and hid myself under the covers. Tifa giggled as I popped my head out of the blankets with a smile. She pulled the blanket right above my chin as I snuggled in. I loved it whenever she tugged me in so tightly! I felt so warm… like when Papa always hugged me…

"So, what story would you like to hear?" she asked me. "How the Chocobo Got Its Wings?"

I scrunched my face. "I heard that story a bajillion times!" I paused then smiled big. "How about, you two make up the story as it goes along! That's fun!"

Tifa giggled. "Okay!" she sat on my bed and offered Vincent a seat next to her. He didn't seem to enjoy this, but I really wanted to see what he could do. This was going to be fun. Tifa cleared her throat and began the story.

"Once upon a time, there was a Moogle named… Marlene!"

"Ah! I'm a Moogle!" I squealed. I liked how this was going.

She continued. "And…" she turned to her friend. "Your turn, Vincent!"

He blinked and leaned back. His glowing red eyes made me move away from him. "And she… wanted something to eat," he finally said in such a boring tone. I leaned back, thinking that this might take a while. "But, she discovered that she was out of Kupo Nuts… so she…" he turned to Tifa. Aww, why'd it have to end right there? He looked like he was blushing as he was telling the story. I didn't think his part was silly at all! I guess there was more than just his scary appearance. I guess this wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Uncle Vincent!" I said in a sing-song-voice.

He turned to me. "Yes, Marlene?"

I smiled. "Let's have fun, okay?"

I woke up to the fresh smell of eggs and bacon. I climbed out of bed and made my way to the kitchen. There, I saw Tifa cooking breakfast and Uncle Vincent… wasn't there. I guess he was still sleepy. I shrugged and happily skipped in. I tip toed next to Tifa to see what else she was making. My mouth drooled as I saw toast and freshly squeezed orange juice! My favorite kind of breakfast!

"Well, good morning, Marlene!" Tifa happily greeted. "You sure are up bright and early!"

I nodded. "Mm Hm! I could smell the food from upstairs!"

"Here," she handed me a plate of toast and a glass of orange juice. "Why don't you place these on the table while I finish up here, okay?"

"Okay!"

I took a deep breath and slowly made my way to the table. Of course I carried these kinds of things before, but they always ended up on the floor. And Papa didn't like it when I dropped things on the floor. I didn't want to mess up this time! Finally, I carefully placed the food and drink on the table. With a sigh of relief, I turned to Tifa who was just about finished.

"Oh, Marlene?" she started. "Could you wake up Uncle Vincent for me? I don't want his food to get too cold."

"Okay!"

"Thanks! He should be on the couch."

The couch…? I wondered why he was sleeping there. There were a lot of rooms for Uncle Vincent to sleep in. Maybe he didn't like to sleep in beds or something? Such a weird guy. I just shrugged at that and made my way to the living room. And, there he was. His back was facing me and part of his face was buried underneath the blankets, but I could hear his soft snores from underneath all that. I walked around the couch and carefully climbed on top of it. Part of his snow-white face revealed a side of him I never would have expected. I knew that when I first saw him, I thought he would be all dark and scary, but after what happened last night and what I'm seeing now, I'd think he would be a really fun person to be with.

I leaned forward, but lost my balance and accidentally landed right on his side. I don't know what happened, but I found myself being latched on with his right hand. He was still sleeping too! I couldn't move at all! The next thing I knew… a gold claw came out from under the blankets! First thing that came into mind… he was… not a normal person!

"T-Ti-TIFA!" I yelled loudly.

That seemed to wake up Uncle Vincent. His grip on my shoulder tightened and I groaned in pain. I saw Tifa running into the room and pulled me right out of his grip, but… his claw scratched me on my arm. I don't know what happened to him… I didn't think he would do this…

"Oh my goodness! Marlene, are you alright!" Tifa hugged my tightly and stroked the scratch. She turned to her friend who was sitting up on the couch. "Vincent! What did you do to Marlene!"

He seemed to notice the scratch he had given me. His gold claw hid underneath the blankets. "Marlene… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" he stood up and brought his hand (normal hand) out to me. "Let me see-"

"N-NO!" I hid behind Tifa. I felt my eyes water. "I… I don't want you!"

"Come on, Marlene," Tifa said. "We'll talk about this after I help you with your boo-boo. Now, run upstairs. I'm going to talk to Vincent."

I didn't think it would take Tifa so long to come upstairs. I wondered if she was yelling at poor Uncle Vincent. What he did before… I didn't think he really meant to do it. He was probably having a bad dream… or something. But, after seeing that gold claw… I don't know what to think of him anymore. I never even noticed that when he first arrived! I think I was more worried about his face than anything else. I curled up against the corner of my room and hugged my pillow. Maybe… I shouldn't have said that to him. He probably thinks I'm just… one of those cry babies. I hope… that Papa won't be angry at me when he gets back.

'Papa… I… want him back. I miss him so much…'

Suddenly, my door slowly opened. I lifted my head as Uncle Vincent entered without a noise. He shut my door and just stood there for a while. I could obviously see his claw trying to hide behind his back. For the next ten minutes or so, we never made a single noise whatsoever. My heart was beating like crazy! Was I _that_ worried about him being here? Finally, he stepped up and sat right next to me. I scooted away from him and hugged my pillow even tighter.

"Marlene," he finally said. "I didn't mean what I did before. It's just a reaction I get whenever I'm asleep. I don't even realize until afterwards. I'm… sorry I scared you."

I couldn't stay quiet for any longer. But something was still bothering me. "…did… you only come up here just because Tifa told you?"

He shook his head. "I, myself, wanted to. I know that my appearance may be frightening, but I want to show you that I'm like Tifa. However, I lack a couple of things from her. I'm… not used to taking care of children."

I turned and moved next to him. "But, I already know that you're a good person at heart. I thought you wouldn't actually tell me bedtime stories or… show a soft side of you. I'm glad you came, I knew that my Papa wouldn't leave me with anyone I couldn't trust." I hugged his arm and looked up with a smile. "So, let's have fun from now on, okay?"

For the first time ever, he smiled to me. "Okay, but first," he picked me up and gently placed me in front of him. He took the arm with my cut and gently stroked it with his finger. I flinched a little, but after a while, I didn't feel a thing. I peered over to his left side, where I spotted his gold claw. It still gave me goosebumps, but I knew that I shouldn't worry about it anymore.

After a while, Uncle Vincent helped me up to my feet and said, "Let's have some breakfast now."

I… had no idea that breakfast could be soooo boring. Tifa and Uncle Vincent talked about nothing but their mission with Cloud. Parts of it sounded a little interesting, but later, I just couldn't understand what was happening. I sighed to myself and put my plate and glass into the sink. I didn't even think they noticed me doing so. I made my way to the living room. Cartoons sounded much more interesting than adult-talk. I flipped through the channels and spotted a commercial about Costa del Sole. I leaned forward. I never went there before! I remembered Tifa mentioning about how beautiful it was there. The sun was always shining and it was very relaxing. I wondered if we could go there… but… I didn't think Uncle Vincent liked those kinds of things. I sighed and turned the TV off. There wasn't anything good on anyway.

I trudged up the stairs. I decided to spend the rest of the day sleeping in my room. Before I could reach the top, I was lifted off from the ground and into Uncle Vincent's arms.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked.

I shook my head. "N-No! It's just… a little boring right now."

"Would you like to go to the beach, Marlene?" Tifa called out from the bottom.

"Ah! Really? Can we!" I couldn't believe it! I wondered how they knew… I nudged Uncle Vincent's arm. "You don't mind, do you?"

He smiled and shook his head. "I don't mind. As long as you want to, I'll do anything."

"Hooray! Let's go! Let's go!"

He placed me back on the ground as I ran down to Tifa. She was looking out the window with a worried look on her face. I tilted my head and asked,

"What's the matter?"

"I think there might be a storm coming."

My mouth dropped to the ground. "Aww man… storms ruin everything!"

She giggled and kneeled next to me. "Don't worry. I'm sure the weather will be much better tomorrow. If so, we can go to the beach then."

"Hooray!"

I couldn't wait! My first trip to Costa del Sole… here I come!

* * *

A/N: End of chapter one! I thought this was going to be a one shot… but I guess it's not! More Marlene! Omigosh, she's so adorable. (smile) And Vincent… he sort of reminds me of the Vincent in my other story. (ponder) Anyway! Hope you enjoyed reading and please tell me how you thought of it! 


	2. Rainy Days

A/N: Just to warn you, this chapter is incredibly wordy. Not much dialogue since I have soooo many things that I want Marlene to think about. It's fun to write 1st person. (hugs Marlene)

Thankies for reviewing! Hehe, Vincent can be indeed surprising... (hugs him) Aw, I love Marlene... however, I did think that she was annoying before, but I just suddenly had a change of heart one day. She's so adorable! (hugs her more)

Disclaimer: FF7 doesn't belong to moi… only the idea of this story and shtuffs.

**My Little Star **  
Chapter Two

Rainy Days

"One… two… three… four…five… six…"

It took exactly six seconds for thunder to sound off. Papa always told me that after lightning flashes, count how many seconds it takes for thunder to come in. That's how many miles it was away from here. I've been doing this for more than an hour I'm guessing. There was nothing better to do. Unlike the other kids living here, I wasn't scared of storms at all. I always thought it gave Kalm such a peaceful look. Sounds kind of weird, but that's what I always thought. Besides, Papa told me that there's nothing to be scared of. And, I guess from there, I wasn't scared anymore. I sighed and ran my finger on the window.

"One raindrop… two raindrops… three raindrops… plip plop plip plop…" Today was going to be sooooo boring.

Now that I thought of it, it was still ten in the morning. It felt like ten at night because with the storm, everything was really dark. The power went out a while ago but Tifa lit up some candles around the living room. The smell of vanilla always made me sneeze so I decided to go upstairs in my room. They were busy talking about something before, so… I hope they weren't worried about where I was now.

I wrapped myself with my blanket. It was getting kind of cold up here. I just hoped Papa was all right in North Corel. He always told me that whenever there's a storm, it was always horrible there. I had never been there, but I could just imagine. I hope that Papa wasn't working _too_ hard… he could catch a really bad cold. I gripped my blanket tighter. I want him back… I want to feel his warm tight hugs again. Something inside told me that those 'few days' are going to last forever. I closed my eyes tightly. No, Papa told me himself… that he would be back the moment I really miss him. Which was… right now.

I opened my eyes, immediately spotting lightning flashing brightly. I sighed and bowed my head against the window. "One… two… three… four… fi-" A really loud thunder suddenly sounded off. It practically vibrated the whole house as I fell right on my bottom. I laughed it off and stood back on my feet. "Wow! So much closer than before!" How can anyone be scared of storms?

I didn't even realize that Uncle Vincent had been sitting on my bed until I twirled around. I smiled and climbed on the bed next to him. He was wearing his red cape again with that weird-o gold claw on. I kind of liked it when he took off his cape. Was he _that_ cold? I guessed so, because his skin was so pale.

"Uncle Vincent!" I happily exclaimed. "Did you hear that? That was really really loud!"

He nodded his head. "Yes. Are you alright?"

"Yep!"

"Alright then," he lifted me up and set me on his lap. "It's getting cold up here. Let's go downstairs and warm up a little."

"Okay!"

As soon as we made it downstairs, I hopped on the couch and slouched down. The candles surrounding the living room gave it such a nice touch. I felt like I was camping in a log cabin. Now, all I needed were some marshmallows to heat up in the fireplace. I always loved the taste of freshly baked marshmallows. I smiled to myself. Squishy, gooey stuff… Hey, why not?

I jumped out of the couch and ran to the kitchen. I thought Tifa would be in there, but I guess not. Now that I thought of it… I haven't seen her in a while. She was probably getting some blankets in her room or something. I shrugged and pushed a chair against the counter. I climbed on the chair and onto the countertop. I remembered there were some marshmallows in the cabinets. I opened one of them and spotted a bag of big puffy marshmallows. Before I could even grab them, I was lifted off of the countertop and onto the ground. I looked up at Uncle Vincent who seemed a bit disturbed. He looked kind of spooky when I stared up at him in this angle. He crouched down in front of me.

"What were you doing?"

"I-I was just getting something to eat."

"Tifa went out to buy lunch since she can't cook right now. We should wait for her in the other room."

I nodded my head slowly. Wow… he sounded really disturbed. I wondered why? I tugged his red cape as I followed him to the living room. The dimly lit room never ceased to form a smile on my face (and make me sneeze for that matter). 'It's like camp!' I repeated to myself. I watched Uncle Vincent wrap himself with his cape and sit in front of a candle. I tilted my head and sat next to him. He didn't look so good… but that could just be me. He looked pale to begin with anyway.

The front door suddenly burst open. Tifa ran inside and closed the door loudly. She was soaked head to toe! Luckily she had a raincoat on… that belonged to my Papa. It was twice her size and I could barely see her own feet! She took it off and hung it on the coat hanger.

"Tifa!" I called out. "How long were you out?"

"Oh my goodness, I don't know, but the weather is unbelievable. I don't think it's going to end any time soon."

"Aw, okay." As much as I wanted to go to Costa del Sol, now wasn't the time to complain about it. Besides, I was too hungry to complain anyway.

I followed Tifa into the kitchen and helped her unpack the food. It was simple foods like, burgers, hotdogs, and fries. I also spotted some canned soup and bread. Tifa took the soup and bread and brought it to the living room. Since the power was gone, she had to cook the soup in the fireplace. I've never seen Papa use it before. He was waaaay too lazy to do that. He preferred to cook things that didn't involve third degree burns. As Tifa was busy stirring the soup in the pot, I had to ask,

"Tifa? What's wrong with Uncle Vincent? He looks… paler than before."

"Oh, he said he was fine. But, I went out to buy something for him… just in case," she looked up. "He should be alright, though."

I nodded and sat next to Uncle Vincent. "Lookie! We're making soup for you so you can get better!"

He didn't respond. I frowned and scooted away from him. I think he wanted to be alone for a while. He looked like he had a lot in his mind. I sighed to myself and watched as Tifa handed the hot soup to him. He just nodded and slowly ate it. Tifa gestured for me to come into the kitchen. I think she got the idea that he wanted to be alone.

It was already five in the afternoon and it was still raining. Like before, I counted how many raindrops were on the window… and how long it took for thunder to sound off. Actually, the storm was starting to calm down a little bit. But, still not enough for good beach weather. Tifa and Uncle Vincent decided to sleep for the rest of the day. I made a face and turned away from the window.

"I hate rainy days…" I sang. "Rain rain go away… come again another day… or never," I muttered the last word.

Just then, Tifa's cellphone started to ring. No one was around so, I decided to pick it up.

"Hello?" I said in an adult-like tone.

"Damn, Tif! Your voice sure got really squeaky! Going through puberty again?"

I made a face and replied (in my regular voice), "Uncle Cid?"

"…whoa! Marlene! I… ehe… didn't know it was you."

"Hehe, it's alright."

"Is Tifa there?"

"Yeah, but she and Uncle Vincent are sleeping now."

He started to laugh for some reason. "Hah… o-okay. Well, I just wanted to know if she and… I guess Vin, could come to Rocket Town for a while."

"Oh, okay. But… the weather is…"

"The weather looks fine to me."

"Eh?" I turned to the window and, to my amazement, the clouds were disappearing and the rain wasn't as heavy as before. I ran up to the window and smiled. "Wow! That was really fast!"

"Who's on the phone, Marlene?"

"Tifa! It's Uncle Cid!" I handed her the phone.

"Yes, Cid?… oh, I see. What about your 'crew'?… okay! Okay! No need to pop a vessel. So, your crew's going to pick us up via Highwind?… great. We'll get ready," at that, she hung up her phone.

"Are we going?"

"I guess we are. Cid needs help with a few things. I'm just going to make a quick call to your Papa. In the meantime, could you wake up Uncle Vincent for me?"

I nodded. "Okay!"

Now I knew what to do this time. I didn't want him to grab me tightly this time. I walked around the couch he was sleeping on and lightly tapped his shoulder. He didn't move an inch at that. I tried again and ducked for cover. I could hear him moving around now.

"Marlene?" he muttered.

I peeked over the couch and smiled at him. "Guess what! We're going to see Uncle Cid!"

No sooner that Tifa finished talking to Papa, a huge airship suddenly appeared right outside Kalm. By now, the rain had completely stopped and the sun was peeking through the clouds. Tifa, Uncle Vincent, and I made our way to the airship. This was my first time to ever ride on the… Highwind. Papa told me that some day I would, and… I guess today was that day! As soon as we boarded, the ship immediately took off. The small town of Kalm was literally small as we flew higher and higher from the ground. Everything was so pretty from above and… I thought I saw the beach, too!

Surprisingly, we arrived in Rocket Town already! That place seemed much smaller than Kalm. Were towns always _this_ small way out here? As soon as we landed, we climbed down the ladder and spotted Uncle Cid coming out from a house. I smiled and ran up to him.

"Uncle Cid!" I exclaimed.

He picked me up over his head. "Yo, Marlene! S'been a while!"

"Yuh huh!"

"How was the ride?"

"It was neat!"

"Cid," Tifa stepped up. "What is it that you need help with?"

"Ah, right," he set me down and gestured for everyone to follow him inside.

Cid started to talk about plans on building a new airship. I remembered him calling it, The Sierra or something. I wasn't exactly paying attention. Adult-talk was alwaaaays boring. I sat on the couch and slouched down.

"Oh, who is this?"

I turned and spotted a really pretty woman. Her long brown hair was tied to a ponytail and she was wearing a white coat. I sat up and answered,

"My name's Marlene. Marlene Wallace."

"Wallace, hm? So you would be… Barret's daughter?"

I nodded. "Yep. My Papa is out and Tifa and Uncle Vincent are looking after me. Then Uncle Cid called and so… here I am."

She giggled. "I see. Well, you must be a little bored."

I sooo had to agree with that. "Yeeees…" I sighed.

She turned to the window and pointed outside. "Did you know, there used to be a rocket ship right there?"

"Wow! Really? Uhm… whatever happened to it?"

She paused then smiled. "Well, my Cid, the 'Captain', always dreamt of going into space with that rocket. And one day, he did. However, the rocket was destroyed as he… _we_… barely escaped."

I widened my eyes. "Wow… that's really something. How's it like up there?"

"It was quite a sight."

"Ah, damnit, Shera! You're not telling that story again or ya?"

"Captain! Please watch your language!"

Uncle Cid pinched his lips together at that. "Yeah, okay."

Shera turned to everyone. "Well, since it's so late now, would you like to stay over for the night?"

"Aw, thanks! We'd love to, Shera!" Tifa smiled. "Then, if the weather is good tomorrow, how about we take a little vacation to Costa del Sol?"

"That's a wonderful idea!"

I clapped my hands. "Hooray!"

"Shyeah? A'ight then. I could use a good tan, aye, Vince?" Uncle Cid poked him on his shoulder. He just shrugged and simply replied,

"Alright."

Shera stood up and held my hand. "Let's cook something really good, okay, Marlene?"

"Okay!"

That night, we had a really good dinner around the living room. I was so stuffed that I could barely move another inch. I think everyone else thought so as well. Soon, we found ourselves sleeping there for the rest of the night.

* * *

A/N: End of chapter two! I hope you guys weren't really bored with this. Yes. Marlene has a lot of think about. As I was writing this... I kept thinking about when this should take place. Uh... maybe sometime after the Northern Crater battle or something? (shrug) That should work for now. (sweatdrop) Anyways, hope you enjoyed and please tell me how you thought of it!


	3. Not So Yucky

A/N: This is more dialogue-y than the last chapter so… not as uh… well actually it's still wordy, but ah well.

Thankies for reviewing everyone! Hehe, I think I should have made Marlene talk to Cid a little while longer. Aw! I couldn't have called him Grandpa Cid! (laughs and pats his head) And, I wasn't really thinking of pairing Vincent and Tifa together. It's in Marlene's POV and… I don't think she wants to see lovey lovey stuff yet. However, I think I made Marlene too attached to Vincent. (big smile) Not a bad thing. I was planning that anyway. (huge smile) However, I'll consider the idea though.

Disclaimer: FF7 shtuffs don't belong to meee… and so on and so forth.

**My Little Star **  
Chapter Three

Not So Yucky

I thought that staying overnight in Rocket Town would be fun. Well, it was at first… but it just got worse for me. It was half past midnight and it was absolutely silent in Uncle Cid's house. For some reason, I just couldn't sleep anymore. Before, I was all comfy sleeping under Uncle Vincent's warm cape… but now I was feeling yucky. My tummy was hurting so much and I could barely breath through my nose. I slowly stood up and tip-toed to the bathroom. I almost banged my head right into the wall… I was so dizzy right now. I finally made it to the bathroom and hopped onto stool. I gasped and leaned closer to the mirror.

"Whoa… why do I look so si-" I groaned and held my stomach. "Ooowwwww!" It was hurting so much! I started to think that I ate waaaay too much food for dinner. (I'm such a pig…) I started to pant like an overexcited dog! Then I remembered… Papa told that whenever I didn't feel good, tell someone so they could help. I nodded at that and slowly walked out of the bathroom. My head felt so heavy and I couldn't see very well.

Suddenly, I just couldn't move anymore. I was so dizzy, I fell to my hands and knees, panting like crazy. I closed my eyes tightly as warm tears poured out. Then, I yelled out, "U-UNCLE VINCENT! UNCLE CID! SHERA! TIFAAA!"

I didn't know what was happening, but pretty soon, I found myself in Uncle Vincent's arms. I wrapped my hands around his neck and sobbed. Tifa stroked my head and asked, "What's the matter, Marlene? Did you have a bad dream?"

I shook my head. "N-No… I don't feel so good…"

"A'ight, lemme take a look atcha…" Uncle Cid placed his hand against my forehead. In just a second, he pulled it away. "Whoa, kid. You're really burning up!"

"And you look really sick," Tifa added. "I think you might have caught Vincent's cold…"

He turned to Tifa. "I didn't have a cold, Tifa. I think she was allergic to the vanilla scented candles."

I waved my feet around and moaned in pain. "My tummy hurts…"

Uncle Vincent turned and placed me on the couch. He wrapped me up nice and tight in his red cape. I was still feeling yucky, but I couldn't resist a slight smile. Shera placed a soft pillow behind my head. Now I was feeling really tired now. I really hoped that I would be better by tomorrow morning. I slowly closed my eyes and felt something warm brush against my cheek. Before I entered dreamland, I heard a voice say, "Good night."

The next morning was just horrible! My stupid nose wasn't working right and I still felt really yucky. I woke up really grumpy and I just wanted to be alone. Today was the day I was supposed to be going to the beach, but I guess not. But, that wasn't why I was grumpy. I didn't even know _why_ I was grumpy in the first place. I just was. At that time, everyone else had already been awake. Uncle Cid and everyone else were talking about their plans for 'The Sierra'. I figured they'd do adult-like things while I was sleeping. Oh well. I just shrugged it off and sat back on the couch.

"Yucky… I still feel yucky…"

"Marlene?"

I turned and spotted Shera. "Oh, hi."

"How are you feeling?"

"I still feel… yucky and gross…" I sniffed. "And I can't even breathe right! I think I'm gonna diiieeee…"

"Aww, no you won't. Here," she placed some orange juice and toast on the table. "You better eat something before you leave."

"Leave? Where are we going? I hope not the beach…"

She sat next to me. "No, no. Since we don't have any medicine right now, we decided the best place to go is Wutai."

I perked my head up at that. "Wutai? It sounds weird… uhm… are you and Uncle Cid coming?"

"I'm sorry, dear. But we have to work out some things with The Sierra."

"Ah, okay then."

"Well, well! Looks like the kid's up!"

Shera and I turned and spotted Uncle Cid grinning. I smiled and nodded. "Yep!"

"How are you feeling?"

I frowned at that. "Nnnn..."

"Well then. You guys ready to board the Highwind?"

After I finished eating my food, we were off to Wutai! I never heard of that place before… but I think I remember Papa mentioning it. He said that was where the 'bratty snot-girl' lived. Just thinking of that made me a little nervous. When Papa said that, he sounded annoyed and really angry. I hope he didn't mind me going to the… snort-girl's hometown.

The trip wasn't as long as when we were going to Rocket Town. But, we had trouble landing the big airship near Wutai. There were so many mountains surrounding the town. I peered over the railing and spotted the town. From above, it looked really small. But, once we landed, it was incredibly huge! There were mountains shaped like people in the back! This place looked really interesting. After Uncle Cid dropped us off, the Highwind lifted off and disappeared into the clouds. Once we entered Wutai, it was really crowded. It kind of looked like there was a festival taking place.

"Alright," Tifa said. "I remember there was a shop with lots of medicine…"

Uncle Vincent pointed to one of the buildings. "I believe it's that one."

"Ya-HOOOOOOO!"

Suddenly, a ninja girl landed right on Uncle Vincent's shoulders. He grunted and lifted her off. She just grinned and jumped away. I blinked and hid behind him. Were there others like her in this village or something? Tifa laughed and patted the girl's shoulders.

"Oh my gosh, Yuffie. You shouldn't do that to poor Vincent anymore."

"I know! But, I wasn't expecting you guys! What're you doing here anyway?"

"We need to buy Marlene some medicine."

"Eh? Marlene?"

I shyly stepped out from hiding. "I-I'm Marlene."

Yuffie clasped her hands together and kneeled in front of me. She patted my head and hugged me tightly. "Awww! She's so adorable! You can call me Yuffie!"

"Ow, ow…" I moaned to myself.

"Yuffie," Uncle Vincent said. "She's sick and we need medicine."

She saluted at that. "Gotcha, Vinnie! I'll let my pops know," at that, she finally left.

I couldn't help but let out a sigh. Now I knew what my Papa meant by 'bratty snotty-girl'. But, she wasn't really annoying… she was just surprising and really perky. I just shrugged it off and looked around. Wutai looked really pretty. There were decorations everywhere and everyone looked happy. I tugged on Uncle Vincent's cape, turning his attention to me.

"It looks like a festival! It looks so much fun!"

"But, in your condition, I don't think you'll be able to attend," he responded.

I nodded my head. "I know. I was… just saying."

"Maybe if you get better, we could all attend," Tifa replied and patted my head. I smiled at that. But, I had a feeling I wasn't going to get better anytime soon. I still felt really yucky.

"Hey, you slowpokes! Are you gonna come or what?" Yuffie yelled in the back.

We followed her to a wide opened area. There was a very tall building off in the distance and a small shrine. It looked really peaceful and very religious. Yuffie gestured for us to enter the house on the right. Inside looked much bigger than the outside. There were several rooms down here and there. Just how many people lived in this house? Yuffie opened one of the doors and bowed her head. An old man slowly walked out as he bowed his head also. He turned and we bowed our heads also. (I didn't, because I was confused at the moment…)

"Ah, you are with Cloud's group, yes?"

Tifa nodded. "Yes. We came to buy some medicine for Marlene. She's really sick."

"And who is this 'Marlene'?"

I raised my hand. "I-I'm Marlene, s-sir."

He walked towards me and kneeled down. He placed his warm hands on my forehead and closed his eyes. He finally stood up and turned to Yuffie.

"Go to the cupboards and search for the medicine on the bottom right."

"Gotcha," she raced down the hallway and turned the corner.

The old man turned to Tifa and Uncle Vincent. "I rarely use this medicine on anyone. This young girl has very high temperature. I'm surprised she was able to walk on her own."

"Well, we were able to cool her down last night," Tifa pointed out. "And we made sure she drank lots of liquids this morning."

"I see."

Finally, Yuffie came back with the medicine. The liquid inside the bottle was funny looking. It was green with small yellow… whatevers in there. It kind of looked like really small melon balls. I stepped behind Uncle Vincent and peeked my head through his arm. But, the old man gestured for me to come out. I walked to him very slowly. He poured some of the medicine into a small cup and handed it to me. In one gulp, I immediately tuck my tongue out. It tasted really bad! And the yellow melon ball things were really squishy and disgusting. The old man grinned and patted my shoulder.

"Don't worry. The taste will wear off right away." Well… he was right about that. After a few seconds, the taste completely disappeared. "Now, do you feel funny?" I shook my head at that.

"Not really… but I feel like I'm gonna throw up…" My cheeks suddenly puffed out. I clamped my hands over my mouth and turned to Tifa and Uncle Vincent. Tifa grabbed my hand and quickly headed to the bathroom.

I started to hate where this was going.

After a while, I started to feel better. The old man explained that that… was supposed to happen. Good thing I wasn't paying attention… because that was a very gross way to cure someone! Tifa told me that I had to rest for a while.

I tugged the blankets over my mouth and smiled. "Not yucky anymore! No more yucky yucky tummy!"

"Hey, sorry we had to cure you that way. That's why my pops rarely uses that medicine on anyone," Yuffie stroked my head.

"That's okay! I feel all better now!"

She smiled and turned to her friends. "Ya'know, if you want, you guys can stay for the festival tonight!"

I sat up at that. "Festiiii!"

Tifa giggled. "We would love to. But, we have to make sure that Marlene is still better by then."

Yuffie leaned back. "Aw, c'mon! She's strong as a bull! Besides, my pops' potion never fails! Now, let's go pick out our yukata's! Pleeeeaassseeee?"

"Well… Vincent? Could you watch over her?"

He nodded. "Of course."

At that, Yuffie tugged Tifa up to her feet and left the room. Yukata? I was guessing they were some kind of fancy clothing or something? I hope that I could pick one for the festival! I drummed my fingers on the blankets. I couldn't stop thinking about the festival!

"Marlene, you should try to get some rest," Uncle Vincent pulled the blankets over my head. I giggled and shook them off.

"Okay! But, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Have you ever been to a festival before?"

He paused and leaned back. "Not really. I don't really enjoy that kind of thi-" he shook his head. "I mean, I don't really like being around a lot of people."

I had a feeling he was going to say that. After all, he was never really sociable. He was always quiet. But, I wanted to change all that. Maybe this festival could help. I nuzzled against his red cape and said,

"I've never been to a festival either. Papa's always busy with his work and I'm not allowed to go anywhere outside of Kalm," I looked up to Uncle Vincent. "I know I could go with Tifa to the festival, but… I want you to come too! We might even enjoy it!"

For a brief second, I could have sworn I saw a slight smile on his face. He turned around at that. "Maybe."

The door suddenly opened. Tifa and Yuffie were wearing really pretty… yukatas! Tifa's was a dark blue with pretty white flowers on it, and Yuffie's was red and also had white flowers on it. I sat up.

"Wow! You guys look so pretty!"

"Thanks, Marlene!" Tifa smiled.

Yuffie leaned towards me and winked. "I found one of my old yukata's from when I was little. This might fit you," she pulled out a yellow yukata with yellow and purple flowers on it. I smiled and crawled out from under the blankets.

"It's so pretty!"

"Later on you can try it!" she turned to Uncle Vincent with a big grin. "Viinnniiieee!"

He lifted an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Don't think we would leave you out! I managed to scrape this out from my old man's closet!"

Tifa and Yuffie both revealed a dark blue colored yukata with white designs on it. I would neeevveerr picture him wearing something so traditional-looking like that! It might even look good on him, though. I turned to Uncle Vincent, who had an unsure look on his face. Tifa and Yuffie grinned and threw the cloth into his face and left the room.

"Next time we see you, you better have that yukata on, Vinnie!"

* * *

A/N: End of chapter three! Oooo… Vincent in a yukata? Hehe. This definitely reminds me of my other story _Back to those Human Years_. Ah… anyway, Marlene and Vincent's first time in a festival? What shtuffs await them? Find out next chapter! Hope you enjoyed reading and please tell me how you thought of it! 


	4. Don't Leave Me Part 1

A/N: I decided to stick in the Tifa 'n Vincent relationshipness. But, it's not like that. I think this pairing is really sweet and all, but I'm sticking with the Tifa 'n Cloud relationshipness. (dodges tomatoes) But, you can just ignore what I just said and stick to Tifa 'n Vincent if you'd like. (smiles big) I'll make it sound convincing. Not like that, though. (coughs)

Thankies for reviewing everyone! Don't worry, Vincent isn't _that _kind of uncle. (shudders) It's just that he's very close to her, even though he's not used to being around children. (makes awing noises) At first, I was going to have him wear a red yukata but… eehh. I know he wears red but… something inside told me that I had to pick blue. (shrug) I don't know why either. O.o Hehe, a katana and a wakizashi… I could just picture him with those in his belt.

Disclaimer: FF7 doesn't belong to me… but the Wutai festival thingy does. (victory pose)

**My Little Star **  
Chapter Four

Don't Leave Me (Part 1)

"Tell me when it feels tight."

"…AH! Okay! I-It's tight enough…"

Tifa quickly loosened the obi belt around my waist and tucked it underneath. After I got plenty of rest, I was finally ready to try on my new yukata! Yuffie told Uncle Vincent that her dad would help him in his. I bet he was going to look really good in it. I couldn't wait to see! After Tifa straightened out my yukata, I twirled around and looked into the mirror. The red obi belt Yuffie gave me was incredibly pretty! It was really shiny, like it was brand new! I twirled around again and smiled to Tifa. She had her yukata on already, but her hair was up in a bun. I watched Yuffie help her with that. I wanted one, but my hair was too short. Oh well, I didn't really mind.

"Thanks, Tifa! I like it a lot!"

She smiled. "You should tell that to Yuffie. Oh, yes. Before I forget…" she handed me a pair of sandals. "These are yours."

"Ah! Sandals!" I immediately put them on and walked around in an adult-like manner. That made Tifa laugh. "Are we ready now?"

"We just have to wait until Vincent is done with his."

I nodded and left the room we were in. As we were walking through the house, I passed by a window. I gazed outside and saw that the festival was just about ready to begin. It was evening already and the lights outside were so pretty. I even spotted a few women dressed in fancy-looking yukatas. I wondered if they were hot in them? I continued walking through the house with Tifa when we heard a door slide open. Yuffie walked out with her yukata on and pouted inside the room.

"Alrighty, Vinnie! Enough stalling! The festival's about to start!"

"You don't have to yell, Yuffie," he responded with a sigh.

"Then, come out already!" Yuffie reached inside the room and pulled Uncle Vincent out.

I perked my head up at the sight of him. He looked… absolutely good in it! His dark blue yukata, with a matching obi belt, reached just over his ankles, and his sandals looked just like mine. I could still see his gold claw peeking through his long sleeves, but it was hardly noticeable. He was also holding something in that hand… it kind of looked like a small blue bag. Yuffie pulled Uncle Vincent to our direction and waved.

"Ya-ho! Wow, Marlene! You look really cute!"

I bowed. "Thank you, Yuffie!" I looked up at Uncle Vincent and smiled. "You look really good! You should wear stuff like that more often!"

He turned his head away from me and replied, "…thank you."

Tifa smiled to him. "Yes, you look really handsome!"

The girls snickered to themselves at that. He shouldn't be embarrassed at all! I know it was his first time wearing something fancy, but I did mean what I said before. He should wear things like that more often. I tilted my head and tugged Yuffie's sleeve.

"Are we ready now?"

"Yep! Let's go and see the opening for the festival!"

As soon as we walked out of the house, we were greeted by colorful streamers flying everywhere! I didn't know the opening was going to take place right here! (but, I should have known… seeing that this place was really big…) We headed straight to the big building in the back. Yuffie said that that was called a 'Pagoda'. Pagoda of the Five Mighty Gods I believe. She didn't get into much detail with that though. Anyway, as we stopped in front of the building, lots of people were making their way inside. Pretty soon, it was really crowded. Luckily, we had the best seats in the house!

As soon as we settled in, smoke suddenly filled in front. Once it disappeared, the women I saw before suddenly appeared. Yuffie also mentioned that they were called 'kimonos'. The sound of drums suddenly sounded off, making the women step to the beat of it. I started to wonder how they could move in those big outfits.

Just then, the drums stopped playing and the women stopped dancing. They lifted their arms and released something sparkly into the sky. As it floated up, the sparkles exploded into pretty colors. Red, blue, yellow, anything you could think of! It felt like I could just grab them with my hands.

Our attention turned to the back of the crowd. A small path was created for Yuffie's dad. He walked up the stairs to the Pagoda and turned to the crowd. Everyone bowed their heads at that (Yuffie told me what I should do before). The man lifted his arms in the air and said,

"Thank you, friends, family, and people visiting Wutai. I am thankful to see people attend this special occasion. This festival is in honor of friends and families. I do hope everyone enjoys it this year as much as last year," he reached inside his sleeve and pulled out a small green ball. "Let the Wutai festival…" he stepped forward and tossed the ball high into the sky. It exploded into some symbols I couldn't read. "BEGIN!"

Loud cheers sounded off at that. I jumped up and down cheering as well. Everyone looked so high spirited and looked like they couldn't wait to start having fun. I couldn't wait either! Yuffie patted my head and leaned forward.

"You guys head on down. I'll catch up!"

I think the town seemed more packed than the Pagoda! There were kids running everywhere and people playing the games at the stands. I even spotted some people performing cool tricks! I tugged Uncle Vincent and Tifa's sleeves and said,

"Can we watch some of the performers?"

"Okay!" Tifa tugged us to one of the performers.

I think there were some people throwing… something to a… something. I made a face and tried to tip toe. Why did there have to be such tall people? I couldn't see anything! Uncle Vincent lifted me off from the ground and let me sit in his arms. I smiled to him and leaned forward. I spotted the performers passing knives to each other. It looked really dangerous, but every time they passed, they would always catch them perfectly. I clapped at their neat tricks. They bowed and one of the men in a fox mask said,

"We now bring out our best performer, Godo's one and only daughter, Yuffie Kisaragi!"

I kicked my feet back and forth (not into Uncle Vincent). "Yuffie's going to perform?"

"I had a feeling," Tifa fake-coughed. I bet anything Yuffie told her before.

Yuffie made her way through the crowd wearing her ninja outfit. She had a huge knife in one hand and several small ones in the other. The two men helped her up on their hands and tossed her high in the sky. Yuffie twirled around and released all of her weapons. The bigger knife perfectly hit the big target while the small ones hit the smaller ones next to it. She landed on her feet and bowed. The crowd, including me, clapped loudly.

The next trick she was about to perform was something she only did once! I leaned back into Uncle Vincent's chest. I think he seemed a little nervous too, because he gripped me tighter than before. One of the men helped blindfold Yuffie and the other moved the big and small targets in a different position. Once they were ready, they helped Yuffie up on their hands and tossed her once again. In one twirl, she released them and they landed perfectly in their desired targets. The whole crowd cheered at that. I clapped my hands and cheered also.

Once the performers were finished with their tricks, we decided to get something to eat. There were so many selections! I wanted to try these small round black things with rice in them. I think they were called sushi? That reminded me of the squishy marshmallows back home. We sat underneath a tree and ate our food. One bite of that sushi made my face scrunch up. It was… good… and… weird-tasting at the same time. Tifa saw me and giggled.

"Marlene, how is it?"

I made a face. "It's… uhm… good? What's in this stuff?"

Tifa paused and smiled nervously. "It's… raw fish."

I paused and stared at my food. For raw fish… it didn't really taste raw at all. I think Tifa was expecting me to spit the stuff out. I giggled and sipped my orange drink. I may not like raw things, but I sure don't complain about it… a lot. I turned to Uncle Vincent who was busy eating his own sushi. He looked kind of bored. I tapped him on the shoulder, bringing his attention to me. I tilted my head.

"Is there something wrong?"

"No, it's not that." He pulled out his small blue bag and balanced it in his hand. "I have to deal with this later on."

"What's in there?"

He didn't respond to that. I puffed my cheeks out and turned to Tifa. She just shrugged at that and continued eating her food. Something was fishy… and it was not the sushi. Uncle Vincent was hiding something… I wondered what…

After we finished eating, it was time for some games! There were games where you fish out your prize, tossing games, and the list goes on! I wanted to try one of the fishing games. It looked easy but when I actually tried… it was hard! My hook just fell off… and you only get one chance! Tifa tried and she easily caught a red balloon.

"Wow! That was really fast!"

"Hehe, well, I used to attend a festival and my Papa told me the trick to this."

"Aw! You could have told me that before!" I joked. That was okay. I wasn't really expecting to get anything. I just wanted to have some fun!

I turned to Uncle Vincent who was trying out the game as well. He tucked his sleeve behind and carefully dangled the hook above one of the balloons. And in one swoop, he easily caught one. I clapped my hands. I think I understood what you had to do. When I tried, I forgot to tuck my sleeves back. They got in the way. I rubbed the back of my head and grinned nervously.

"That was really n-" he handed the balloon to me. I blinked and looked up at him. "…eat…"

"For you," he simply said.

"T-Thanks," I smiled and squished my balloon around. He… didn't have to give me anything…

"Oh! Vincent!" Tifa tugged his arm. "You should try this game!"

She led us to one of the shooting games. I definitely couldn't try this game. Besides, I was too young anyway. After talking to the guy behind the stand, he handed Uncle Vincent one of those gun things. It looked much skinnier and much longer than Papa's. He looked like he knew what he was doing. He leaned forward and concentrated on the target ahead of him. He shot several bullets and hit his target perfectly. I don't know why… but my body felt weak at that. It was like I heard something similar to that noise before. I… didn't like it. Tifa looked excited about it though. How could… anyone like those kinds of things? I know it was just a game… but…

I stepped back. This meant that… Uncle Vincent… knew how to use those horrible things? After he won his prize (which was some stuffed bear), he and Tifa were eyeing another game. I frowned and sat underneath a tree. It looked like they were having fun with each other. I was glad for them! I was happy that Uncle Vincent could have a chance to have some fun for a change. But, did they have to do all that without me? I shrugged to myself and decided to walk around for a while. Maybe when I come back I'll find them still playing games or something.

I walked across one of the cross bridges and peeked inside one of the buildings. It kind of looked like they were trying out some costumes. Before I could enter, a boy, about my age, ran right into me. I fell back and groaned. He just stared at me and backed away.

"I-I'm sorry," he said softly.

"That's okay. Uhm… are you alone too?"

He nodded. "Yeah. My brother and his new 'friend' are spending so much time with each other. It's like I don't even exist anymore!"

I had to agree. "I know how you feel. They're spending too much time together… leaving you out."

"Yeah! Hey… you… wanna feed the Koi fish?"

"Okay!" At that, we headed straight for the riverbank. "What's your name? Mine's Marlene."

The boy smiled sweetly and answered, "Damian."

* * *

A/N: End of chapter four! Ah! I had to stick in an original character. Damian. Such a cutie name! This chapter definitely sounded like something a little kid would do. You know, feeling worried 'n scared and having the need to walk away from it? Man… I can totally relate… when… I was a kid. (cough) Anyways! Marlene and Damian spending time with each other? What does that mean? What's going to happen with Tifa and Vincent? Find out next chapter! Hope you enjoyed reading and please tell me how you thought of it! 


	5. Don't Leave Me Part 2

A/N: This part's a little serious. (loud gasp) Except maybe in the ending but... hehe. It feels like I haven't written stuff in like… a bajillion years! (panicks)

Thankies for reviewing everybody!  
Hehe, Vinnie-chan is hiding… (covers mouth)  
Yusa Kenta. (ponders) I probably heard it in some animes before but I just never noticed. (sweatdrop)  
Hehe, thank you for your forgiveness (bows) And, yes. Damian does sound demonic. O.o Oh dear.  
I'm glad you like my Marlene story! (smile)

Disclaimer: Noothhiinng beelloonnggss too meee… except for Damian because he's really adorable! So is Marlene but she doesn't beelloong too meee… ah, poopy.

**My Little Star **  
Chapter Five

Don't Leave Me (Part 2)

The riverbank was filled with hundreds of pretty Koi fish! Everywhere you looked, you would see them in different colors. There were yellow, black, white, red colored fishes (there were even more than that, too!). I don't even remember the last time I've seen something really pretty. For the next thirty minutes or so, we had been feeding the Koi fish. I even had the chance to pet one. I got splashed a few times, but that was all right. My new friend, Damian, and I splashed each other with water too. After we were finished, we decided to walk around just outside of Wutai. That gave us time to get to know each other better. I started first.

"Well, right now I'm living in Kalm. My Papa is a very great person and he likes to travel a lot. He just came back from his travels with his friend… but he had to go help his other friends in North Corel. He left his friends to look after me."

Damian placed his hands behind his head. "Really? I wish my father were like that. But, he would always sit around and talk about how sad his life is."

"Sad?"

"Yeah. My mother died when I was just born. So, I don't remember anything about her. But, my older brother would always tell me how wonderful she was. He told me that the moment she saw me, she cried with joy."

I frowned at that. Mama… I would always bring it up to Papa, but he would always shake his head and change the subject. I always thought that I had a Mama… but… why wouldn't Papa want to talk about it? Was it something too painful to talk about? That got me to wonder if… I even _had_ one.

I tugged my sleeves and bit my lower lip. I didn't want to think or even talk about that now. Now wasn't the time to cry. After a deep breath, I finally responded, "Do you live around here?"

He shook his head. "I come all the way from Cosmo Canyon."

My eyebrows skyrocketed at that. "Wow! All the way there?"

"Hehe, I thought you had a little hint that I came from there?"

I blinked and stared at him. Well, I wasn't sure how a… 'Cosmo Canyonian' looked like. Damian had really tan skin, his hair was pretty dark, and he had a little mark on his right cheek. The mark kind of looked like one of Cloud's friends'… I think his name was… Red? I shrugged my shoulders.

"I should really go there some time," I paused. "So, that means you are visiting someone here?"

That seemed to annoy Damian. He just turned away from me and replied, "Yeah. My brother's 'friend'. This all happened last year when we went to Wutai for the festival. She was one of the dancers at the opening ceremony and he just fell in love with her. Since then, he's only been thinking of her nonstop. He hasn't been paying much attention to me. He's been constantly sending mail to her from home. And I read one of the letters about spending this year's festival alone. I don't even know why my brother took me here anyway."

I tilted my head and patted his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I guess relationships are like that. It's obvious that they both like each other… possibly love each other. It's very strong to break."

"…I hate it. I hate their little relationship. And I hate their stupid love!" he turned to me at that. "I just want to run away from them forever! Live somewhere far away from them!"

"D-Damian…"

"Is that why _you_ decided to run away from your parents?"

I gave him a dirty look. "I don't run away from my Papa! I love him very much!"

"Then, why are you out here? Wouldn't your mother be worried about you right now?"

'Mama…' "What about you! Your brother's probably worried about you!"

"I TOLD YOU! He doesn't care… even if I died he still wouldn't care! He only cares about his little 'friend'!" he clenched his fists. "Answer me! What about YOUR mother!"

I clenched my fists and bit my lower lip hard. I could feel a small leak of blood from that. "I-I… I don't… have… one."

Damian scowled. "You lie! You're probably like me!"

I couldn't take it anymore! I wasn't sure what I should do. The only thing I could do was… cry. Damian could actually be right. Since I don't remember my Mama at all, then she probably died a very long time ago. Maybe that was why Papa would never talk to me about it? And, the only reason why I'm here alone was because Tifa and Uncle Vincent seemed to be having fun with each other. I didn't want to break that. They probably… liked each other. But… I thought that Tifa liked Cloud first? Things didn't make any sense to me anymore.

I didn't realize that I had been crying for some time now. Luckily, there weren't any people nearby. I didn't want anyone else to know that I was such a crybaby. For some reason, I kept telling myself that I shouldn't cry. Papa never showed one single teardrop to me, so I shouldn't either. I wanted to be strong just like he was. Damian placed his hand on my shoulder and leaned forward. He seemed like he was crying as well. I looked up as he smiled his sweetest smile.

"We have a lot in common. We try our hardest not to cry, but we can't help but do it anyway."

I wiped my tears away. "U-Uh huh…"

He helped me up to my feet and gestured towards a big mountain. "Let's go there! I'm sure no one will find us there!"

Before we could even move, there was a distant voice calling out something. It sounded like 'Damian'. The voice soon got louder, and that made Damian really nervous. He tugged me towards the mountain and ran as fast as we could. We finally arrived at the mountain, the one shaped like people. There weren't as much people there, but we still made our way through. The trail was really steep and at one point, I lost one of my slippers (I really hoped Yuffie wasn't going to be angry about that…). We hid inside one of the caves and sat in the dark for a very long time. It started to get really dark and scary. I tugged on Damian's sleeve. I just wanted to go home to Papa…

"We should be fine here," Damian said, taking a breath of relief.

"C-Can we go back? I don't like this place…"

"And have those 'lovers' look for us and continue ignoring us? NO WAY."

I frowned and sat back. What was I doing? Damian had definitely convinced me that no one cared about us at all. Why did I fall into such a trap? Papa always said that no matter what the situation was, he would always love and care for me. I should have realized that Tifa and Uncle Vincent showed that to me already. I just wished that Damian would realize that too. I'm sure his brother and his 'friend' cared about him dearly. They were probably worried about him right now. And… I think Tifa and Uncle Vincent were as well. I clenched my fists at that and stood up.

"Damian," my voice was so firm… it actually hurt… "we shouldn't hide like this anymore! There are people out there that are worried sick about us! If we continue like this, we could get in serious trouble!"

"And who's gonna get us in trouble? We're running away, remember? Whatever happened to them leaving you out? They only think about themselves! Adults are so greedy!"

His comments were getting really ridiculous. I raised my hand and slapped him across his cheek. "Don't you DARE say that again! Everything you say are lies! YOU'RE the liar! I don't know where you get these ideas from, but I'm going to show you that all you said are lies!"

I tugged him to his feet and dragged him out the cave. The moment we stepped outside, I couldn't see anything for miles. The only things I could see were the bright lights of Wutai. I didn't even realize that we climbed so high! I shook the thought out and finally made our way down.

"W-What are you doing!"

I tugged his arm tighter. "We have to go back to them! We both know they care for us deeply!"

"B-But!"

"Be q-"

I suddenly slipped and found myself hanging over a bajillion feet above Wutai! Luckily, Damian was alright… but he seemed really shocked. I tried reaching my arm out so he could help me up… but… he just ran away! I couldn't believe it! He was still trapped in his own little world. I felt warm tears running down my face as I closed my eyes tightly. I was sorry for running away from Tifa and Uncle Vincent… and I was especially sorry that I thought that Damian was right until now! I just made things worse! I was losing my grip…

"I… I'm so sorry!"

"MARLENE!"

I shot open my eyes and spotted Tifa, Uncle Vincent and… Damian. I thought he would never come back! I was so happy… but how did he know I was with them? I kicked my feet against the wall of the cliff as Tifa scooped me up into her arms. I wrapped my arms around her neck and cried again. I couldn't help it…

"Marlene! Don't you ever run away from us again! We were so worried!" Tifa pulled me in front of her. Her face was completely red from crying. "Do you hear me, young lady?"

I nodded my head really fast and took a deep breath. "I-I'm s-sorry! I-I didn't m-mean it!"

"Marlene," Uncle Vincent lifted me out of Tifa's arms and into his. His usual expressionless face actually showed signs of fright and worry. It wasn't something anyone could see, but his eyes revealed it all. I sniffed loudly and wiped away my tears. "Marlene," he repeated. "Why would you do such a thing?"

"I didn't mean it! Y-You guys were having so much fun and I didn't want to interrupt! Uncle Vincent, I've never seen you having so much fun! That's what I wanted this festival to give you!" I looked away. I still remembered the _other_ reason why I ran away (though, I still shouldn't have done so…). That gunshot… I thought I heard a noise similar to that one before. And it wasn't my Papa's gun. He never used it in front of me before. I rested my chin against Uncle Vincent's shoulder. I was too tired to do anything now. He patted my back and finally said,

"Marlene, if there's something that is bothering you, you should always tell us."

I blinked out my tears and buried my face into his shoulder. "I… I let down Papa…"

After that moment, we decided to stay over at Yuffie's place for the night. I had a very strong feeling that I ruined our so-called 'fun' night into a… "not-so-fun" night. I wasn't in the mood to talk about what was bothering me, but I would probably do so in the morning.

That night, I couldn't sleep at all. There was still the little problem with Damian. After he brought my friends over, he just disappeared again. I really hoped he wasn't hiding from his older brother and his 'friend' again. I slowly stood up from my bed and tip-toed across the room. I had a feeling he was going to be awake around this time. As soon as I opened the sliding door, Uncle Vincent stirred.

"Marlene?"

I froze and quickly shut the door. "Y-Yes?"

"Where are you going so late?"

I sighed and dragged myself to him. Guess I couldn't hide what was bothering me now. "Well… my friend, Damian, and I were talking and he says that his older brother and his 'friend' have been ignoring him since last year. His brother is always thinking about his 'friend' and nothing else. Damian thinks that no one cares about him anymore." I paused. "And… I kind of felt that way when you and Tifa were having fun without me."

Uncle Vincent sighed and offered me to sit on his lap. "I'm sorry about what happened before. You were right. I was… having a little… fun. And Tifa wanted me to have fun as well. But, you make it even better."

I felt my face burning up. "I-I… eh… hehe…" Well, I sure was embarrassed now...

"We didn't mean to leave you out."

I shook my head. "I-I know. I realized that before… after Damian almost convinced me that no one cared about us."

"Damian. He was the one that was yelling, 'Marlene's in trouble'?"

I gave a weak smile. 'So… that's how he did it.' But… what should I do? I really want him to know that his older brother still cares about him!"

He helped me to my feet as he stood up. "Let's go."

The lights from the festival were still burning brightly as ever outside. The festival sure left Wutai in a garbage heap. There were even people outside sleeping! This place didn't have enough hotels or something? I hopped over a bunch of streamers and spotted Damian on one of the cross bridges. I tugged Uncle Vincent's sleeve and told him I wanted to talk to him alone. He nodded as I made my way towards my friend.

"Damian!"

He turned and smiled weakly. "O-Oh, hey."

"Thank you so much for what you've done. That really means a lot."

"Y-Your welcome. I just had to. I could have helped you before, but I had a feeling your friends should help you instead. What you said before… was true," he turned away. "I went back to my older brother. And, like you, he was really worried. He already knew why I ran away. He and his friend, Trinity, said that we would get along with each other from now on."

I smiled. "I'm glad to hear that."

"I thank you for everything and I'm sorry I got you in trouble."

"Hey, we both got in trouble, right?"

We both giggled at that. Damian turned to face me. "Well, I'm going back to Cosmo Canyon now."

"Aw, so soon?"

"Yeah. This time, my brother is going to take Trinity with us. _Now_ I know what not to think. They'll always care for me no matter what," he leaned forward and gently dabbed his lips onto my cheek. He smiled and took off. "Thanks for everything again!"

…that was my first not-Papa-kiss I ever had… and from someone that I barely even knew! I blushed and waved good-bye.

I slept peacefully that night. And about that gun and Mama thing? I forgotten all about it the next day…

"Peachy! Peachy! Peeaacchhy!"

I stuffed a slice of peach in my mouth. For some reason, I was full of energy that morning. I even woke up yelling, 'good morning!'. I accidentally woke up Uncle Vincent, but he wasn't angry. After we got dressed, he said he had to deal with something at the Pagoda. I just shrugged and followed Tifa to grab me some breakfast. An hour has passed and Uncle Vincent still wasn't back from… whatever he was doing. So, I decided to check up on him (Tifa followed me).

As we walked out, there was a crowd of people right in front of the Pagoda. It kind of looked like someone was performing some tricks. I spotted Yuffie coming out from the crowd, gesturing for us to come in. We followed her to the front and I spotted Uncle Vincent, Yuffie, and the knife throwers.

"Attention everyone!" Yuffie yelled. "As a special treat, my good pal Vinnie will be performing some amazing tricks!"

He sighed. "Yuffie, I don't know how to use these things…"

"Hah! Don't be so modest!" she slapped his back and laughed. "You just throw them!"

Uncle Vincent threw the knives across very weakly. Yuffie picked them up and threw them back to him. He quickly ducked and gave her an annoyed look. She laughed again and threw her very huge knife to him.

"DODGE! DODGE! DODGE! VIINNIIIIE!"

He took out his small blue bag and threw something round to the ground. In just a few seconds, smoke exploded right out of it. It was impossible to see anything passed it. As soon as it died down, he was nowhere to be seen. Yuffie stomped her foot.

"AUGH! VINNIE!"

Suddenly, several small star things appeared and stapled Yuffie and the other guys straight to the ground. I looked up and spotted Uncle Vincent jump down from the top of the Pagoda (veeery high…). He smirked and placed the star things back in his blue bag.

"Thank you for the equipment," he bowed.

Yuffie growled. "Lemme go!"

The whole crowd began to cheer loudly. Uncle Vincent… sure surprises me sometimes.

"Wow! I never knew you could do that, Vincent!" Tifa smiled and leaned forward. "And to think this comes from a gunslinger."

He just shrugged his shoulders at that. Suddenly, his cellphone rang. He picked it up and said, "Yes?" he paused and handed it to me. "It's for you."

I blinked and took his phone. "Hello?" I smiled. "Papa! How is North Corel d… w-what? O-Oh… n-no… Y-Yes… I'll be fine. I hope to see you really soon. I love you, too," I handed the phone back to Uncle Vincent.

"What's wrong, Marlene?" Tifa asked, patting my head.

"…Papa says that he won't be home for another month or so."

* * *

A/N: End of chapter five! Aw! I was like… practically crying when I wrote this chapter. It's so mushy mushy. I'm sure a lot of kids can relate… (blows nose) Anyways, the ending's a comic relief! Whooo hoooo… hehe. Ew, I left you with a stinky cliffhanger. (dodges knives) Oh dear! Barret's not coming home yet? What will Marlene do! Where will their next adventure be? Find out next chapter! Hope you enjoyed reading and please tell me how you thought of it! 


	6. Come Back Home Part 1

A/N: I've been in a slump lately, and I almost fell asleep when I was writing this. But, that was due to my lack of eating/drinking sugar-related stuff. Mmmm… sugar… Anyway, this is a very wordy chapter, but it's okee dokee.

Thankies for reviewing everyone!  
Yep! Expect more chappies! I don't know how much, but hopefully around the double digits even. Hehehe…  
Glad you guys likey! (smile) Hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well.

Disclaimer: FF7 shtuffs doesn't belong to me. And etc etc…

**My Little Star **  
Chapter Six

Come Back Home (Part 1)

As soon as Uncle Cid picked us up from Wutai, we headed back to Kalm. Good thing too… I wasn't in the mood to travel anywhere anymore. Ever since Papa called, I haven't spoken to anyone. I know it was mean, but I didn't want to start complaining about how much I missed Papa (even though I really wanted to…). Once we made it back home, it was already lunchtime, but I wasn't really hungry. I just ran straight to my room and locked my door. I needed to be alone for a while… maybe even until Papa comes back… but… how long would that take?

Several hours have passed as I had been staring at nothing but the ceiling. I was surprised I haven't died from starvation or even boredom. That was definitely new to me. I sighed and shifted positions on my bed so I was now facing the window. The sky was perfectly clear of clouds and the sun was shining right on my face. I didn't really mind though. It actually felt nice. I stayed in that position until I heard a knock on my door (which was thirty minutes later).

"Marlene? May we come in?"

It was Tifa. I climbed out of bed and stopped in front of the door. My brain was telling me to open it, but my arms wouldn't respond. I just sighed and leaned my head against the door. This feeling was so new to me, I didn't know what to do. I think I remembered that Papa used to act like this. I wasn't sure why, but he always stayed in his room, mumbling to himself about this and that. Hm… I wonder where I got that feeling from…

Finally, I decided to let my friends inside. Tifa kneeled down and hugged me really tightly. I weakly looked up at Uncle Vincent who had a bowl of soup in his hands. He placed it on the floor and gently stroked my head. Now I felt really bad. Since I haven't talked to them in a while, they must have been really worried. I took a deep breath and pulled away from Tifa.

"I'm sorry," I started. "I just needed to be alone for a while."

Tifs shook her head and smiled slightly. "That's okay. If it's too personal, we understand."

I wouldn't say it was _too_ personal. I mean, they already knew what was bugging me. I would love to share it, but I would just cry in the end. Crying was not something I wanted to do right now. I think I showed enough of that yesterday. Uncle Vincent picked up the soup and placed it on my bedside table.

"Here. You haven't eaten lunch yet."

That seemed to make my tummy growl. I sooo had to agree! I smacked my lips together and quickly sat on my bed. But before I could start digging in, Tifa's cellphone rang. She picked it up and answered,

"Yes?" A smile formed a few seconds later. "Oh! Cloud! It's nice to hear from you again!" I perked my head up and ran up to Tifa. Cloud… that was a name I haven't heard in like… forever! I wondered why he called? I leaned forward to hear on the conversation. "Oh, so you've been staying in Cosmo Canyon?… eh? Nibelheim?" she lifted an eyebrow at that. "You… want me to pick up something for you?… ehehe, okay, okay. No! It's not a problem. I'll have to bring some of my friends over if you don't mind… okay, good. See you later!" she hung up the phone and sighed.

I tilted my head. "Nibelheim?"

"Apparently, Cloud wants me to pick up some equipment back home. Geez, he's so lazy. I mean, he's like… right there! I swear I'll punch him straight to the moon!"

Uncle Vincent stepped forward. "If you do not mind, I will stay behind."

Tifa paused then nodded. "Okay, Vincent. I guess it's just you and me Marlene."

I tugged my shirt and shook my head around. "N-No. I'm not in the mood to travel anywhere anymore. I wanna be right here for when Papa comes back! I bet he's… on his way home… right now!"

She frowned and patted my head. "Well… alright," she turned to Uncle Vincent. "Please take good care of her. I'll be back as soon as I'm done."

"Don't worry. And be careful, Tifa." At that, she made her way out of the room. I could hear her talking to Uncle Cid. And from the way I could hear, he sounded really annoyed. I couldn't help but feel bad for him… having him take us everywhere. I ran up to the window and watched Tifa walk out of Kalm. Something inside told me that she wouldn't be back in a while. I sighed and dragged myself next to Uncle Vincent. He lifted me up and sat on my bed.

"She'll be back," he said. "In the meantime, you should eat your food."

I nodded and slurped my soup loudly. For a while now, an awkward silence filled the air (of course, except my loud slurping). I couldn't help but notice Uncle Vincent staring out the window. I wondered why he didn't want to go with Tifa. I was sure he wanted to go for… whatever reasons. I placed my spoon on the table and took a deep breath. Steam blew out of my mouth as I exhaled for a while. I turned and faced Uncle Vincent's back.

"Is there something wrong?" I finally said. He just turned around and stared at me with those glowing red eyes.

"It's nothing. Nibelheim brings back memories of my past, that's all."

I tilted my head. "Are they… bad?"

"…I… don't know."

He turned away without making a noise. I scratched my head and sat on the floor. Okay… so he didn't want to talk about it. That was all right with me… it sounded way too personal anyway. I sighed. I think it was best to bring up something else.

"Hey, hey, you remember my friend Damian? He said he lives in Cosmo Canyon! Isn't that neat? And that's where Tifa's going!"

"…why didn't you go with her then? You didn't have to stay here because of me."

I shook my head. "I wasn't in the mood to travel anywhere anyway. Besides, Papa could be coming back anytime now. You know what? He could be right here right now!"

Uncle Vincent turned around. "Marlene… he said-"

"No!" I got up and ran right out of my room. I know it wasn't possible, but anything could happen! I ran down the stairs and opened the front door really fast. A huge burst of wind brushed passed me as I stepped outside. I glanced around, spotting nothing but the villagers walking around. I sat on the ground and rested my chin into my cupped hands. Anytime… Papa will be right in front of me… anytime. I wanted to see him so bad, but if I go to North Corel, I would only slow his work down. Then he would have to stay there for even longer.

"Come home already…"

"Marlene," I turned around as Uncle Vincent crouched down next to me. "Yesterday, I spoke with your father on the phone, and he told me to tell you that his work is almost complete."

I perked my head up. "Really?"

"However, another thing that's preventing him from returning is the fact that half of the people residing in North Corel are really ill. Your father will remain there until everyone is better."

I frowned and turned away. "O-Okay. Well, at least he's helping. I'm fine with that."

"…are you sure? You've been acting a little differently."

"Nuh uh…"

"Yes, you have."

"Nooooooo."

"…are you positively sure?"

I snapped my head back and stuck my tongue out. "Yeah huh!" I giggled. "No, but I'm fine. As long as Papa's alright, I shouldn't worry about him. I just miss him a lot."

"Well, what do you do when he's not here?"

"…sit, eat, sleep, and stare out the window, hoping he'll be back any day."

Uncle Vincent lifted an eyebrow at that. He stood up and closed the door behind him. "I think we both need some fresh air." I nodded and clamped my hand into his.

We just visited all the stores and said 'hello' to a couple of people I was friendly with. We did this for at least hour or so. That was okay, because I was feeling a little better. And, I think Uncle Vincent was as well. He seemed so relaxed and happy (of course, it was impossible to see for others, but I could see it clearly). It was already six in the evening and we haven't heard from Tifa at all. She was probably lost track of the time or something. I balanced on one foot and shifted around, only to spot a crowd forming around a man and his two Chocobos. It was really rare to see Chocobo riders in Kalm! I gasped and tugged Uncle Vincent's cape.

"Look! A real live Chocobo!"

"Would you like to see it?"

"Yes!"

We made our way inside the crowd and watched the man ride around on his Chocobo. It was so cute! Its feathers were a pretty black color and it made the most cutest 'Kwee' noise ever! The other Chocobo had yellow feathers but didn't make a sound. One of the kids patted the animal's beak and asked,

"What's its name?"

The man hopped off of the bird and smiled. "Her name is Geezabel. And the other, his name is Raizon. These are just two of the many Chocobos I have on my farm."

I smiled and walked up to the man and asked, "How long have you had these?"

"Geezabel… perhaps about two or three months, and Raizon, I only had him since yesterday. He's still a little shaky, but I think we can work things out eventually."

"Wow! And already, you trained him to sit still. I've seen Chocobo's that can't even do that for even a second!"

"Yes, well, the key thing to remember is to bond with them. You and the Chocobo will soon gain trust with each other."

"That's really sweet."

"Say, would you like to ride Geezabel?"

I lifted my eyebrows and nodded my head a lot. "Oh, yes! I always wanted to ride one!"

"Alright then," he lifted me up and placed me on Geezabel's back. It actually felt really comfy up here. It was like I could see almost anything! The man handed me the reins and began walking around. The Chocobo 'kweed' and followed him around. It took me a while to balance myself, but I got the hang of it. I smiled and waved to Uncle Vincent who gave me a small wave. Once the ride was over, the man helped me out.

"Thank you, mister!" I said.

He smiled. "No problem," he turned to the crowd. "Now, who else wants to ride Geezabel?"

I skipped over to Uncle Vincent but stopped in front of Raizon. He seemed really shy. I smiled and waved, but that seemed to make it really scared. Its loud 'Kwee' seemed to spook the kids as they started to scream. Raizon stomped its large feet and charged right at me. I could hear Uncle Vincent yelling at me to run away, but I couldn't move. The Chocobo's head bowed down and scooped me up as I landed on his back. I held the reins tightly as the animal ran around Kalm. I balanced myself and looked back. Uncle Vincent was close behind, riding Geezabel.

"U-Uncle Vincent!" I screamed.

"Hold on, Marlene!"

Before I knew it, we were outside of Kalm, running blindly through the darkness. This was the first time I ever went outside of Kalm!… not to mention on a Chocobo! I pulled the reins back, but it just made the animal run faster. I had no idea where it was going, but we were passing through a huge meadow. It was absolutely silent, but I could have sworn I heard something. Raizon suddenly came to a stop, making me fall right off. I scratched my head and looked around. I couldn't see Uncle Vincent at all, and it was really scary. Suddenly, a distant howl was heard, spooking Raizon out. Before I could grab its reins, it ran off… leaving me alone. I turned around and grabbed my shoulders.

Suddenly, I felt a slight earthquake nearby. I jumped away and found myself face-to-face with the most enormous snake ever. For the next few seconds, it just stared at me with its big red eyes. Finally, it lunged forward. Luckily, I ran away before it even struck. Before I knew it, I was playing tag with the snake, and he was it! Just then, I heard several gunshots behind me. My legs seemed to weaken as I fell flat on my face. I turned and found the snake twitching on the ground. That's when I spotted Uncle Vincent on Geezabel. He jumped off and kneeled in front of me. His face was red and he was panting like crazy (I was also). He grabbed my arm and pulled me up without saying a word.

* * *

A/N: End of chapter six! Eeee… I really really dislike the ending. To tell you the truth, I added more stuff, but I decided to save it for next chapter. I need to think more into it. Remember, slumps… are evil. (twitches) But you know what? The image of Vincent riding a Chocobo gave me more ideas for the next part! (falls over) Anyways! Oh dear! Is Marlene in trouble? What will Vincent do? Find out next chapter! I hope you liked and please tell me how you thought of it! 


	7. Come Back Home Part 2

A/N: Took me foorreevveerrr to finish writing this. Stupid writer's block! (whacks brain) Ah well. This chapter's… like… all over the place. Quite literally, too. But, I find this chapter to be really cute. x3 I think I like this the most. Hehehe, you'll know why later. It's coming to its conclusion really soon. Aww… so… it might not make it to the double digits chapter. (sob)

Thankies for reviewing!  
Thanks for pointing that out, Tiramisu. That kind of wording confuzzles me… deeply.  
Ah! Riii-kun! You review so fast. (falls over) Wark wark! Or Kwee… whatever. Muaha!

Disclaimer: NO! NOTHING! NO!… except fooor… Damian. (smile)

**My Little Star**  
Chapter Seven

Come Back Home (Part 2)

"U-Uncle Vincent?" I pulled my knees up to my chest and frowned. No matter how many times I tried, he just wouldn't look at me (or talk to me either…). Was he _that_ angry at me for what happened before? I didn't know it was going to happen! The stinky Chocobo got all crazy and scared the jibbies out of me! Well, I guess Uncle Vincent had the right to be angry. Afterall, I _did_ put both of us in danger, let alone ride a wild animal outside of Kalm.

Geezabel nuzzled her beak against my cheek. I smiled and patted her beak. It seemed like she understood that it was just an accident. She was practically the only one who had been cheering me up. I sighed and stared at Uncle Vincent's back. He said that it was far too dangerous to travel back at night, so we found a cave nearby to rest in until morning. It had been hours, and I've never seen him move from his look-out position. He was still as a statue. I wouldn't dare bother him. He seemed quite disturbed. I patted Geezabel's soft feathers as she 'Kweed' in response.

"Geezabel," I whispered very softly. "I think Uncle Vincent is angry at me. But, I didn't do anything wrong. It was your brother's fault!"

The black Chocobo rested her head on the ground, 'kweeing' sadly.

"…and… it was mine. I should have known… your owner _did_ say he was still a little shaky," I groaned. "What should I do?"

Geezabel lifted her head and gently pushed me towards Uncle Vincent. She 'kweed' and nodded her head. I couldn't help but smile.

"You're right. I should talk to him…" with that, I stood up and marched up to him. I still wasn't sure what to say, but I had to do something. If I didn't, he could just… not talk to me forever even! I felt a little spoiled back then. I stopped behind him and cleared my throat loudly. He didn't respond. I cocked my head side to side and repeated my action. I saw his head twitch ever so slightly.

"U-Uhm!"

"What are you doing up so late, Marlene?"

I stepped back at that. His voice sounded… really low and scary. Almost like… it wasn't human. I clenched my fists and stood my ground. "I-I just want to… talk about before."

"…go back to sleep."

"No! I wanna talk! I know that you're really angry about what happened. And I know you have the right to be. But, I-I didn't know that was going to happen!" I frowned and sat behind Uncle Vincent, back-to-back. "I'm sorry. Once Papa comes back, you can tell him what happened. When I ran away from you, how I was a spoiled child, and-"

"Stop it, Marlene." My lower lip shivered at that. His voice was still the same. He turned around and pulled me up to his warm chest. "You're right, I have every right to be angry at you. But, I wasn't."

"Y-You're not?"

"No, I'm angry at myself."

I pulled away from him and turned. "W-Why? You didn't do anything!"

"I should have seen it coming. But, I couldn't sense anything after that moment. And, I apologize for letting you see such a horrible scene before."

I stared at the ground. I think he was talking about that huge snake. That was actually the first time I've seen something die before my eyes. I perked my eyes up and stared at Uncle Vincent. His red eyes completely matched the snakes'.

"It's not your fault. Things like that happen. We learn from our mistakes."

"…I just wanted to make sure you were alright. Like I said before, I'm not used to being around children."

I smiled and tugged his red clothes. "Well, you sure are a good person. I could tell the minute you came inside my house."

He bowed his head, hiding half of his face behind his cape. "…thank you."

The next day, we immediately set off to Kalm. I was surprised the ride was longer than I thought. Last night, it felt like only seconds after we left Kalm. I think Raizon was a real sprinter! Once we arrived back to Kalm, the man from yesterday was near the entrance.

"I am terribly sorry about what happened. I would have gone out, but I had no other Chocobo to take me!"

"No need for apologizes," Uncle Vincent responded. "However, we lost Raizon."

I frowned. "I'm very sorry."

The man smiled and patted my head. "Aw, there's no need. Besides, the first things I taught him was finding his way back home. Once I return to my farm, he'll be there waitin'."

I smiled. "I really hope so."

"Well then," the man climbed onto Geezabel's back and faced the exit. "Thank you for taking care of Geezabel. Please visit my farm anytime!" he snapped the reins and was off.

As soon as he left, we headed straight for my house. I was starving like crazy! As soon as I ran into the kitchen, Uncle Vincent followed me with his cellphone. I guess someone left a message or something, because I could hear a voice on the other end. As soon as it ended, he sat down at the table and muttered something to himself. I pulled out a carton of milk from the fridge and grabbed my cereal from the counter and sat across from Uncle Vincent.

"Who was that?"

"That was Tifa. She said she would return in a few hours."

I tilted my head. "What is she doing?"

"I'm not really sure."

"…okay…" I was starting to get worried. Back then, Tifa would always finish things in a blink of an eye. I wondered what was taking her so long? I really hoped she was going to come back soon… I didn't want her to be like my Papa. I moaned at the thought and shook my cereal around.

"Why are they taking sooooo long to come hooommee…?"

Uncle Vincent rested his chin in his cupped palm. "I know. I'm concerned about them myself."

We both sighed at the same time and rested our chins on the table. Even though we didn't admit it to each other, we were absolutely bored. If Tifa were here, she would think of something to do. Must be a motherly thing… or something? I lifted my head and poked Uncle Vincent's red headband.

"Let's do something," I insisted.

"…like what?"

"Uhm… well, when Elmyra was looking after me, she lets me bake cookies with her!"

He pulled his headband down. "I don't know how to make cookies."

I hopped out from my chair and searched through the drawers. "I remember a few things," I pulled out some aprons and tossed one to him. "Let's bake something for Tifa and Papa when they come back! I bet you anything we have everything we need!"

I smiled victoriously as Uncle Vincent stood up from his chair. He opened some of the cupboards and took out a bowl and a wooden spoon. For someone who didn't know to make cookies, it kind of looked like he knew what he was doing. I smiled and took out the ingredients we needed.

"Alrighty! We are going to make… gingerbread cookies!"

"Ginger?"

"Yeah! It's really yummy! And it's really easy to make! First… I need a chair…" I heard Uncle Vincent mutter, 'a chair?' at that.

As soon as I settled myself in, I poured flour, sugar and some molasses into the bowl really quickly. The flour exploded right into my face! I forgot how messy it could be. I blinked and turned to Uncle Vincent who was also covered in flour. He shook his head around and coughed. I smiled nervously and started to stir.

As we slowly followed my recipe, we came to a couple of problems. Since the wooden spoon just… broke, we decided to use a mixer. But, it was our first time using it so… we accidentally created a hurricane of mixing batter! It was sooooo funny though! As soon as the dough was finished, we wrapped it in plastic wrap and shoved it inside the fridge. I took my apron off and wiped my face with it.

"Well, it was easier when I made it with Elmyra," I giggled. "But, this was really fun!"

Uncle Vincent wiped away the last remaining batter on the wall and sighed. "And… really messy. I'll be in the shower, Marlene."

"…but, after the dough's chilled, we'll be using even more flour!"

He paused and snapped his head to me. "…more… flour?"

After an hour passed, we took out our dough and spread it on the counter. But, before that, I poured lots of flour everywhere! When I was with Elmyra, we always had fun and filled the kitchen with flour! But, I took it easy a little bit. I clapped my powered hands and pressed several cookie cutters into the dough. We laid them on the cookie sheets and stuck them in the oven. I jumped off of my chair and raised my arms.

"Yay! We're finally finished!"

Uncle Vincent waved his hands, trying to move the flour away from his face. He coughed and responded, "I think these cookies will taste more flour…y than ginger...y"

A few minutes later, we took out our cookies. They smelled sooo goooood. I thought I felt myself drool a river of… drool from my mouth. We set them on the counter and waited until they cooled off. When they did, I took the very first bite. It didn't taste floury at all! (well, maybe a little). I think I had four cookies… it tasted so good! Uncle Vincent had two, and he also agreed that it tasted good.

"Good job."

I smiled. "Same to you! Now, I need to save some for Tifa and Papa…"

Uncle Vincent's cellphone suddenly rang. He picked it up and responded with a 'Yes?'. I stared at him as he remained silent for some time now. Finally, he hung up his phone and headed for the living room. I placed my cookies in a plastic bag and followed him. He opened the front door and looked up at the sky. I blinked and copied him as well. I gasped as I spotted the Highwind right above Kalm! A huge gust of wind formed as the airship gently landed next to the town. Soon, Uncle Cid entered Kalm and ran up to us.

"What is it, Highwind?" Uncle Vincent said.

Uncle Cid paused to catch his breath. "T…Tif said she needs help over in Cosmo Canyon. It's only for a little while."

"What kind of help?"

"…just get on the goddamn ship already, HUH!" he pulled back his hair and lifted me up from the ground. "Are you up for some more traveling?"

I paused and stared into Uncle Cid's eyes for a while. He lifted an eyebrow and gently placed me on the ground.

"Hellooo, is Ms. Marlene there?"

"B-But what if Papa comes back when I'm not here! He's going to wonder where I am!"

"Psshaaww. Barret'll won't be back for like… a while n-"

I stomped my foot. "No! Papa might come home! And I'm staying right here to see him!"

"Marlene," Uncle Vincent started, "please think of what he has to do in North Corel. He needs to care for the sick. And that's something that takes time. Do you understand?"

I already knew that. I just missed him so much… even more than when he was traveling with his friends. He just left too soon and I wasn't ready to accept that yet. I tugged my shirt and nodded my head slowly. I was… definitely acting like a spoiled… child. Uncle Cid took my hand and made our way to the airship. All this time, I was thinking of my Papa… and not anyone else.

The quick trip on the Highwind soon led us to Cosmo Canyon. I was both depressed and excited (is that even possible?). I always wanted to go to Cosmo Canyon. It was sooo different from the way I pictured it. The scenery was really pretty and I could see the clear blue sky better than when I was in Kalm. As we entered the canyon, it was very lively. The villagers were out playing and everyone seemed very happy. I smiled and looked around. Maybe I would spot Damian somewhere…? Just then, Tifa, Cloud, and Red came rushing down the stairs. Tifa greeted Uncle Vincent with a hug and she patted my head. Cloud and Red bowed their heads and greeted me. I smiled and patted Red's head. He didn't really seem to like it, but he shrugged it off.

"I'm so glad you can come in such short notice, Vincent," Cloud said. "We needed another hand to help us out."

"It's alright," he responded. "What exactly are you fixing?"

"My Grandfather's machine," Red answered. "It's very important that we fix it as soon as possible."

"Very well," Uncle Vincent looked down at me as I looked up. "Marlene, is it alright if you stay down here? This is dangerous work."

I shrugged. "Okay, but… with who?"

Red stepped in front of me. "I'll look after her. I already gave Tifa and Cloud the plans to the machine. You should be fine."

"Thank you," at that, everyone made their way up the stairs. I sighed and hung over Red's back. He sat on the ground as I slowly slid down to the ground.

"Marlene, hm?" he said in a cool tone.

I nodded. "That's right…"

"It's been a while since we last saw. How long ago was it?"

"Uhm… many months ago?"

A soft laugh escaped from his mouth. "Well, you may call me Nanaki if you wish."

"Okay, Nanaki," I shook the dirt out from my hair and sat up. "Hey, do you know someone named 'Damian' here?"

"You want to see him?"

"Oh, yes! I met him at a Wutai festival and he said he lives here!"

Nanaki nodded his head towards the big bonfire. "He's usually hanging around the Cosmo Candle with his friends."

I smiled and made my way there with Nanaki following close behind. I spotted a few other boys there, but not Damian. I tilted my head and stepped up to the Cosmo Candle. The loud laughter of the boys suddenly stopped. I smiled nervously and asked,

"I-Is there someone named Damian here?"

One of the boys lifted an eyebrow. "Why should we tell you?"

I made a dirty look. Nanaki stepped forward and growled at him. "Knock it off, Tran. Now, where is Damian?"

"Duh, he wants to hang out with his brother and Trinity. He has been so attached to them ever since they came back from Wutai. We haven't seen him out here for a while."

"I see. I'm sure they have a lot to catch up on," Nanaki sat on the ground. "I'm sure he'll come out. We'll wait for him."

I slowly nodded and sat next to him. The boys shrugged and continued their loud laughter. So, Damian hasn't seen light ever since he came back? I wondered what they were doing? I really wanted to meet him again, but… I understood that he really wanted to get to know them better. I smiled at that thought. Maybe I would see him later on…?

Pretty soon, Tifa and everyone else made their way down the stairs. Nanaki stood up and ran up to them. I followed close behind.

"Daaaammit! I never knew that piece of junk weighed so much!" Uncle Cid leaned back and cracked his back. "Thanks back there, Vin."

Cloud rubbed his spiky hair. "Well, it's a temporary fix. I don't know how long it'll last. I'm sorry, Red."

"No, it's alright. As long as it works. Thank you for everything."

Tifa kneeled down in front of me and smiled. "Ready to go?"

I turned around, hoping Damian would make a sudden appearance. I shrugged then faced Tifa. "Yeah, I'm ready."

"Don't worry," Nanaki nuzzled against my arm. "I'll tell him you said, 'hello'."

"…thank you."

After our final goodbye's, we boarded back on the Highwind and was off. Maybe I would bump into Damian somewhere else? It could happen. I sighed and rested my chin against the railing. And… I just had to be patient. I didn't want to rush Papa with his work. I knew that his work was good for North Corel.

"Yo, Marlene," I turned around as Uncle Cid handed me his phone. I blinked and tilted my head in confusion. He shook his phone and sighed. "It's your 'Papa'."

I gasped and swiped the phone away. "Papa! How is everything there?"

"Everything's better, actually."

"Really? That was really quick!"

"I know! And… you know what?"

"What?"

Papa snickered. "Oh, you'll see tomorrow!"

* * *

A/N: End of chapter seven! This chapter made me so hungry. I want gingerbread cookies! (grabby hand gestures) And, that SO happened to me with the flour. Man… just… don't get it in your eyes. (blinks) I think I might have rushed through some parts. Eh, well… those're the results when you get writer's block. (sigh) Anyways, _will_ Marlene see Damian again? Oh? Barret has a surprise for her? What is it? Hope you enjoyed reading and please tell me how you thought of it! 


	8. Coming To You

A/N: (twirls around) Huzzah! I have brought chapter 8! I am sorry this took me forever to post up. (bows) But! Like I said, I would post it on my b-day! (dances) Short 'n sweet chapter. I hope you like!

Thankies for reviewing everyone!  
YingYang, I'm glad you like-ith my story! And, I know what you're talking about. Very very strange things happen here…  
Mako, hehehe, yeah, but I always love to bake cookies with my mom. If I did it without her… I'd be like… panicky. (sweatdrop)  
VtVV, I was gonna make Marlene and company go to the Gold Saucer and meet up with Cait, but then I decided I couldn't find a good place to fit it. And, hehe, yeah, I know it was mean. I really like Yuffie a lot. PST! Blame Barret! Hehe…  
Tiramisu, I'm glad it makes you happy. It makes me happy too. (hugs Marlene)  
Raven, Glad you likie! E-gads! Then you should read this chappie to find out!

Disclaimer: NO! NOTHING! NO! Except for Damian!

**My Little Star**  
Chapter Eight

Coming To You

I bounced up and down my bed. Papa was going to surprise me with something! I was so excited! Maybe he was going to come back home? I squealed at the thought. Just thinking about it made me even happier. I couldn't wait! I pulled my blankets off and skipped around my room. It was only one in the morning and I couldn't sleep at all! Tifa and Uncle Vincent said that tomorrow would come quicker if I sleep, but…! I covered my mouth to prevent myself from squealing again. I didn't want to disturb everyone's sleep. So, I decided to grab something warm to drink to help me fall asleep.

As I quietly walked down the stairs, I noticed that the kitchen lights were on. I peered over the railing and spotted Tifa and Uncle Vincent talking to someone. Suddenly, the lights flicked off. I watched a tall shadowy figure walk towards the door. As soon as he opened it, the bright moonlight shined on it, revealing that it was… Papa! I gasped and quickly ran down the stairs to catch him, but the door closed in my face. I swung it open and stepped outside. Papa wasn't seen anywhere. It was like… he just disappeared! I dropped to my knees and continued staring outside. Why… did he leave…?

Just then, I felt something warm on my shoulder. I turned and spotted the shadowy figure. Its green demonic-looking eyes glowed brightly into my eyes. I tried pulling away but its grip tightened. The figure revealed sharp teeth that were coming closer to me. I tried screaming, but nothing came out. The only thing I could do was watch as the figure opened its mouth and…

A very loud scream escaped from my mouth as I feel on the ground. My eyes shot right open as the bright sunrays shined on my face. I sat up and looked around. I was in my room…? Then that meant… everything was a dream? I gasped and ran right out of my room. The front door was open and I spotted a black cloak on the couch. My mouth hung open as I cautiously peered over the railings. The kitchen lights were on and I could hear Tifa and Uncle Vincent talking to someone. I quietly hid behind the couch and peeked into the kitchen. Someone… was sitting at our table. I really hoped that it wasn't that… thing I dreamed about. Before I could take one step, Tifa spotted me and gestured for me to come into the kitchen. I whined to myself and slowly made my way there. I peeked my head inside and found myself face-to-face with…

"P-Papa!" I leapt up and wrapped my arms around him. He gave me one of his all-time famous tight hugs. I didn't mind… I really missed those actually. I smiled and pulled away from him. "You're really back!"

"Yep! Did you have fun while I was gone?"

"Oh, yes! We rode on Uncle Cid's Highwind and practically went all around the world!"

Tifa smiled. "I really hope you didn't mind that, Barret."

"Oh, not at all. Marlene always wanted to go to different places. I would love to take her, but something always comes up," Papa frowned at me. "I'm sorry I'm always so busy."

I shook my head. "That's okay! I understand," I turned to Uncle Vincent and smiled. "I especially had fun with Uncle Vincent, Papa!"

He lifted an eyebrow at that. "H'oh really? He didn't do anything spooky to you, did he?"

I gently pounded my fist on his shoulder. "Papa!"

"I'm kidding!"

Uncle Vincent rested his chin inside the palm of his hand. His red eyes stared right into mine. I think he really wanted to smile, but I knew he didn't want to show it to anyone. I smiled in response and nodded my head. Papa placed me on the ground as he stood up and stretched.

"Welp! You guys did a very good job taking care of my Marlene. Thanks for everything. She seems really happy. I hope there weren't any problems."

Tifa shook her hands. "No! No problems at all, right Marlene?"

I smiled nervously and nodded. "Y-Yep! No problems!"

Papa smiled. "Well good. I guess you guys are free to go now."

I blinked at that. Tifa nodded and hugged me tightly. "Hope to see you again sometime, okay?"

"W-Where are you gonna go?"

"I'll have to head back to my bar. I let the Turks look after it while I was gone. Gee… I hope they didn't destroy my bar," she giggled at that. "Take care, Marlene! Visit me anytime!" she waved goodbye and headed out of the house. I frowned as Uncle Vincent lifted me off from the ground. He let me rest my chin on top of his shoulder. I gripped his red cape as he hugged me (first time he ever did that to me!).

"Please take of yourself, alright?"

I nodded and pulled away. "Y-You too!"

Only thirty minutes have gone by but it felt like ten hours! Ever since Tifa and Uncle Vincent left, there wasn't much to do. Papa had been talking to Uncle Cid for a while and I was stuck watching cartoons (not that that was a bad thing…). As usual, there wasn't anything good on. I've seen every single episode of Chocobo Charlie's Adventure and Moogle Madness. I sighed and sunk into the couch. I think I missed Tifa and Uncle Vincent's company. It kind of felt like they were my older brother and sister! They even act like my papa and m- I paused. Mama. I turned the TV off and hopped out of the couch. I think now was the best time to ask Papa about… my Mama. As soon as I entered the kitchen, Papa had finished talking on the phone. He pulled his newspaper away and smiled at me. I did the same too.

"Heya, Marlene. What's up?"

I fidgeted around. "U-Uhm… can I ask you something?"

"Sure," he lifted me up on his lap. "What is it?"

"I know I've asked you this before… but… I really want to know. What ever happened… to Mama?"

He paused and sighed loudly. "Marlene… I…"

"I really want to know! Papa, a lot of things happened while you were gone. I met this boy in Wutai and he said that his Mama died when he was very young. I thought that I was the same as he but… I wasn't sure."

Papa gently stroked my cheek. "…Marlene… it brings back memories that I don't even want to remember anymore. You… are not ready yet. I'm very sorry."

I frowned. Part of me agreed with that, but the other really wanted to know. I just nodded my head. "Okay."

"But, I _can_ tell you this," he started to smile. "Your Mama was very kind… and she was very adventurous like you are."

"Really? What did she look like?"

"Oh, she was really pretty. You even remind me of her. You even have the same likes and dislikes. You hate radishes, she likes-"

I giggled. "Marshmallows!"

"H'oh yeah! She was crazy for them!"

I was glad I decided to talk to Papa about this. That really made my day. I could now think about her in a very happy way. I may not know what happened in the past, but I think this was good for now. Perhaps when I'm older, I would understand more about her.

"Hey," Papa said. "You know, your birthday is coming up next week!"

I perked my head up. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot about that!" (I honestly did!)

"Wow… you're going to be five-years-old! You're turning into a big girl! So, what do you want to do on your birthday?"

I already knew what I wanted to do. I hopped off of Papa's lap and turned around. "Papa, I want to go to the beach! And I want Tifa, Uncle Vincent, and everyone else to come too!"

* * *

A/N: End of chapter 8! Sorry it was so short. Oh, and if you're wondering about Marlene's dream… don't let it bug you a lot. Sometimes when you get too excited at night you dream about stuff like that? (shrug) I've had that several times. (shudders) Not pretty. Anyways! Look out for the final chapter! Yes, unfortunately it's the last one. (sob) I promise I'll make it much longer! Get ready for Marlene's 5th b-day party! Hope you liked reading and please tell me how you thought of it! 


	9. You’re Invited!

**Important A/N:** Omigosh! I am such a jerk! (bops head) I'm sorry! This isn't the final chapter! **I repeat! This isn't the final chapter!** My calculations were INCORRECT! (dies) You may throw knives at me now.

Thankies for reviewing everyoneses!  
Hehe, (imagines Vincent all crispy) Aw… oh dear. O.o;  
Yay! I'm glad you likey! And, you're right! This isn't the end! (thumbs up)

Disclaimer: Nothing beeloonngggss to me… only… lesse… Damian, his brother, Trinity, Tran and his friends, and Tad! So much T's… Whoo! I love original characters… (hug) Oh and… the… chocobo dude. Well… not really.

**My Little Star**  
Chapter Nine

You're Invited!

"Oh, oh! How about this one? Oh, wait! This one's cute too!"

"…Papa, it's going to be a beach party. I don't think a pink poofy dress would help me in the water…"

"B-But!"

"Ooookay, okay."

I sighed as Papa continued searching for a dress I should wear on my birthday. It was kind of embarrassing, but also very funny. He was so interested about my party, he started to shop in every single store. We haven't bought anything yet, but sooner or later we would. I perked my head up as Papa plucked out a cute-looking dress. I smiled and tugged the bottom of it. It looked like my pink one, but it was blue and it had frilly-looking sleeves… and it had the yellow bow on the collar. I smiled and nodded my head. What could I say? I liked dresses like that! Besides, Papa also agreed and he was already searching for my shoes. He picked out a really cute-looking pair of shiny black shoes. I nodded my head and smiled. After buying a pair of white socks and a hair tie, we were finally out of the store. I held Papa's hand as we entered another store. We bought a few invitations (with a picture of Costa del Sol on it) then finally headed back home.

I made my way to the kitchen and waited until Papa handed me the invitations. A smile appeared on my face whenever I saw the picture of Costa del Sol. I've never been there, but from the way it looked, it seemed like a fun place to be! I could just picture everyone enjoying themselves… even Uncle Vincent! I grinned at the thought of him playing in the ocean. I knew he wouldn't dare, but… anything could happen! Papa handed me a blank sheet of paper and a pretty blue pen (that we bought with the invitations) and sat next to me.

"Okay, we need a list of guests that you want to invite."

I scratched my chin at that. "Well, I wanna invite everyone!"

Papa lifted an eyebrow. "Really? I don't think Costa del Sol can fit the whole population of the world."

"Hehe, nooo! I mean, my friends! Tifa, Uncle Vincent, Cloud, Uncle Cid… and, I want to invite my new friend, Damian!" I felt my face burn up at that. Papa nodded his head as I wrote Damian's name on the list. I really hoped he could come. I knew he wanted to be with his older brother, but… I really wanted to see him so badly.

After writing down all the names, I had a total of seventeen guests (including the Turks, Damian and his brother and Trinity, even Tran and his three friends.) The number of guests actually went down… if I compared my last year's party. I had it at the Gold Saucer and it was incredibly chaotic. I honestly didn't recall anything that went on there. I figured I wanted to have a relaxing birthday at the beach. Besides, ever since Tifa and Uncle Vincent came, I wanted to go there so badly!

As soon as I finished with the invitations, Papa told me that I could go to the post office to mail it. I nodded and ran out of the house. After I mailed my invitations, I noticed a huge crowd forming at the entrance. I slowly made my way there, and spotted the Chocobo rider again! I waved my hands around at the man, and I finally got him my attention. He jumped off of Geezabel and patted my head.

"Well, hello there again!" he said with a smile.

"Hi! Why did you come back?"

"Oh, well, I'm here to deliver mail like I always do."

My eyebrows skyrocketed at that. "Y-You deliver the mail?"

"Yep. Just started my own little business."

I sighed in relief at that. I thought that I had been missing out on a lot of things. Since it was quite rare to see Chocobo riders here and all. That certainly surprised me. The man climbed back on Geezabel and snapped his reins gently. The crowd moved away as I followed the Chocobo to the post office. I couldn't help but notice… he didn't have Raizon with him. The man shifted around, finally noticing that I had been following him for some time.

"Is there something wrong, little one?" he asked.

I shook my head. "N-No… well… I was wondering about Raizon."

"Ohoh! That little rascal? Don't let him worry you too much. He's safe and sound back at my farm. He's being taken care of by my grandchild."

A smile appeared on my face. "Oh, well, that's good to hear!" I watched as the man took out the mail from the mailbox. I noticed my invitations in the bunch. "Make sure my invitations get delivered safely!"

"…Are you having a birthday?"

"Yep! At Costa del Sol! It's my first time there."

"Well, it's great you're having it there. I've never been there also, but you can call me as a, non-beach-like person."

"Aw, I was gonna say if you wanted to come."

He chuckled at that. "That's really sweet, but I've got my delivery service now. Thanks though," he paused for a second. "Say, have you ever heard of, The Legend of the Silver Chocobo Feather?" I swished my head side-to-side. I've heard of the Gold Chocobo… but… not the Silver Chocobo. The man pointed up. "It is said that there is only one existing, and that's way up there. Once every ten years, a single silver Chocobo feather comes dancing towards the ground. And, a couple that finds it together will be bound to each other for all eternity."

I blinked at that. "Really? Is it true?"

"H'oh yes. I swear it. I've seen it a couple of times in my life. And you know what? I think… next week'll be the ten year mark."

"Ooh! How do you know where it'll appear? Is it… by chance?"

"No, not at all. Y'see, the silver feather only appears to those who don't seem like couples, but they deserve to be with each other."

I smiled at that. "That's really sweet."

"Yep!" he gently jerked his reins, making Geezabel turn around. "Thought I'd tell you this. Who knows? Maybe you'll see the silver feather yourself at your party, aye?"

"I really hope so!"

"Happy Birthday!" The rider snapped his reins, sending Geezabel right out of Kalm in a blink of an eye. I waved goodbye and skipped around in circles. That really made my day! Maybe I _would_ see the silver Chocobo feather at my party! I wonder whom it'll appear to…?

The next day, I already received calls from Tifa and the Turks. And, I was glad to hear that they could come! I think I overheard someone in the back cheering in a very high-pitched squeal (sounded like a man though…). After I finished talking, my Papa and I began to plan out my party. We agreed that once the guests arrived, they could relax and do anything. Then, we would have our dinner (my party actually starts right after lunch) at the beach, and the dessert would be cake! (ice cream caaaake…) After everything else, we could hang out again. Of course, anything we ever plan out never goes according to plan. Everything just sort of… flowed along. Papa and I giggled and agreed that we would try our best to follow our plan by all means.

Lunchtime came, and I received calls from Cloud, Red, and Tran (and his friends). Everyone said that they were happy to come! Of course, Tran started to bug me about my 'lover-boy' Damian. I asked him if he was coming, but he said he wasn't sure. They still haven't heard from him in a while. I just sighed and hoped that he could come (his older brother and Trinity were coming as well). I really wanted to see him. It felt like an eternity since I last saw him back in Wutai. I shrugged at the thought and continued eating my tuna sandwich.

That night, I got a call from Yuffie at like… midnight! Luckily, Papa and I had been watching a movie on TV and we were wide-awake. I answered for Papa, since he had been soooo into the movie (we were watching a very weird movie…). Yuffie said that she would be really happy to come! She also mentioned about why she called so late. It had something to do with her father and taking care of some 'chores'. I grinned nervously and said my goodbyes. As soon as I hung up, I felt really tired. So, I climbed next to Papa and fell asleep on his lap.

A few days have passed and I've only gotten calls from, Tifa, Yuffie, Cloud, Red, Tran, the Turks, Uncle Cid, and Cait Sith (I had a very strange conversation with Cait…). But, that was okay, everyone still had only… three days to call! I fidgeted around the couch and leaned towards the phone. I wondered what could possibly take them so long to call? At least call if they weren't coming or something. Papa sat next to me and pulled me away from the phone.

"I'm sure they'll call in sooner or later," he assured.

I sighed. "I know… but I thought that Damian or even Uncle Vincent would call much earlier."

"Don't worry about it too much. Now, come on. We've been cooped up in this house ever since. Let's go take a walk around, hm?"

After one final glance at the phone, I nodded my head and followed Papa out the door. I've been rather obsessive lately… I think I was coming down with an "obsessive disease". I sighed and glanced at all the villagers and stores. Everyone seemed really busy today, I wondered why? Papa tugged me toward one of his friend's houses. He knocked on the door and his friend, Tad, answered. Tad was a young man who lived by himself. He's really nice and likes to play with me (but, he was always busy with his work…). We made our way inside and sat on his couch.

"Hey, I thought you would have work today?" Papa asked as he leaned back.

Tad nodded. "Yeah, I know. But, since everyone at my work is so obsessive with this Silver Feathered Chocobo, they've been taking breaks nonstop. So, I decided, why not? It's been a while since the last one."

I lifted my eyebrows at that. "I heard about that a few days ago! That Chocobo rider told me all about it!… is… that why everyone is so busy today?"

He nodded. "Yeah, there's always a small festival here, devoted to that Silver Chocobo. Ten years ago, it was really beautiful. The feather even made an appearance right here in Kalm! That couple looked really happy."

I smiled. "Are they here? Can we see the feather?"

"I'm afraid they don't live here anymore. They moved to Midgar to work. Haven't heard from them since then."

"Oh… I see…"

"Oh, yeah… that thing!" Papa leaned forward. "I remember that. Back in Corel, everyone used to go gaa-gaa over it. They were… well, all over the place. Quite literally I may add."

Tad stood up. "Well, the ten year mark will be three days from now. Let's see if it'll make yet another appearance here."

"That's the day of my birthday! I hope it comes to Costa del Sol!"

He laughed. "Well then, a little competition?"

"Nah, but, I would really like to see it right when it falls."

"Oh, it's really beautiful…" he smiled and patted my head. "Happy Birthday, Marlene."

Two whole days have passed… and I _still_ haven't received a call from Uncle Vincent or Damian! I was starting to panic all around the house. Up and down the stairs, in and out of the house. Still no call! I thought I was going to explode from waiting so much! I really hoped that nothing happened. I bit my lower lip and fidgeted around next to the phone.

"Riiing… riiiiinnngggggggg…"

Papa sighed and lifted me off from the couch. "Stop fidgeting around! You're gonna make me start doing that too!" he placed me on his shoulder. "I know! Let's visit them and see what's going on?"

I gently kicked my feet back and forth. "Nnnn… I don't really wanna bother them…"

"…hm. Huh, duh! Let's call them on my cell!"

I smiled. "Yay!"

Papa took out his phone and dialed Uncle Vincent's number. There was a weird voice coming out from the other end. It didn't sound like him at all. Papa grumbled and hung up. I tilted my head.

"Who was _that_?"

"Service is bad somehow. We can't contact him at all… unless he calls us instead."

I frowned. I had a feeling where he was, but I didn't want to speak up. I think… he was in Nibelheim. He _did_ say he had memories back there. I didn't want to interrupt him on… whatever he was doing. I shrugged as Papa placed me back on the ground.

"We'll just hope for the best, okay?" Papa said calmly.

I nodded. "O-Okay…"

That night, I couldn't sleep a wink. I've been thinking about my party tomorrow. I couldn't wait for that, however! I was pumped to play in the ocean and build sandcastles with my friends! But… it wouldn't feel right without the _rest_ of my friends. I would understand if they had other things to do… but still.

I pulled the blankets off and walked out of my room. I needed to walk around for a while (in the house, of course). I hopped off the last step on the staircase and dragged myself to the kitchen. Papa left his cellphone out… again. Whenever he does that, he gets really grumpy and sometimes has trouble finding it… when it's right underneath his nose. I shook my head and carefully took it off the table.

"I should give this to Papa," I tiptoed towards his room and creaked the door open. His loud snores suddenly filled the empty hallway. I immediately shut the door at that. It always gave me spooks in the middle of the night, especially when it echoed throughout. I sighed. "Maybe… I should hang on to this for a while," I made my way up the stairs and into my room. As soon as I placed the phone on my bedside table, it started to ring loudly. I panicked and tried muffling up the noise. When I glanced onto the screen to see who was calling, it had Uncle Vincent's phone number! I looked around and pressed the 'talk' button.

"H-Hello?" I cautiously said.

"Marlene?" a deep voice answered.

I sighed in relief at that. "Ah! Uncle Vincent!"

"I'm sorry to have call you so late, but I think you tried to contact me earlier?"

I nodded to myself. "Yeah, but something happened," he didn't respond to that. I fake-coughed and finally said, "So… uhm… yeah. Papa and I were wondering if you… got my invitation?"

"… you knew where I was?"

"Oh… I just… had a very strong feeling," I smiled victoriously at that.

He paused for a while then finally answered. "I see. Well, I'm sorry, but I didn't receive anything."

"O-Oh, okay. But eh… if you can… would you be able to come to my birthday party tomorrow at three in Costa del Sol?"

"…"

I smiled nervously. "I-I invited everyone and eh… I-I know you probably don't-"

"…you'll be five-years-old, right?"

I sat up. "Yep!"

"Then… I'll go."

A huge smile formed on my face. "Ah! Really! You'll come?"

"Yes."

"With your bathing suit too, right?" I joked.

"…let's… not get _too_ carried away."

I giggled at that. "I know, I know. Papa bought me a new outfit… I think he expects me to swim in it," I twitched. "I'll be too poofy…" I heard a little 'heh' on the other end. I closed my eyes halfway and yawned. It was getting really late now… and I knew Papa would throw a fit if he caught me up this late.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" I yawned.

"I will. Sleep well, Marlene."

* * *

A/N: End of chapter nine! Ah! So much original characters! (thumbs up) You know what? I really wanna draw out my story. That'd be so neat! Like… Marlene and Vincent baking cookies together! (falls over from cuteness) Omigersh! Anyways, uhm… most likely the next chapter will be the last one, but knowing me ('cause I'm me, heh) I'll probably extend it even further. I just need more ideas for my story. Anyways! Hope you liked and please tell me how you thought of it! 


	10. It’s My Birthday!

A/N: Fin-a-lee! I got offa my lazy bottom and wrote dis chappie! Omigersh! I made it to the double-digit chapters! (loud gasp) Thanks to all reviewers who inspire me to continue! (light sobs)

Thankies for reviewing everyone!  
Mako, hehe… Red and Cid. O-Oh dear. O.o   
Celestial, I'm glad you really like it! (smile)  
Tiramisu, thanks for pointing that out. (rubs eyes) My old eyes aren't working good nowadays. (sweatdrop) Hehe, Barret's a dadmom. (more sweatdrops)  
Meralhi, I've seen Vincent in a bathing suit on the cover of a doujinshi I saw… omigosh! (drool) I have been inspired! (shiny eyes) I'm glad you like my story!

Disclaimer: (flaps arms around) Nooothing nothing…

**My Little Star**  
Chapter Ten

It's My Birthday!

Finally! The day of my birthday had finally arrived! Papa cooked me the most yummiest breakfast ever (homemade waffles, with bacon and sunny-side up!), and practically hugged me for the next hour or so. I was finally five-years-old! That's a whole hand! I happily skipped around the house and noticed the bright blue skies through the window. It was a perfect day to go to the beach! I just hoped that there wasn't going to be _too_ much people there. I took another glance outside and noticed a huge crowd in the middle of Kalm. How could I have forgotten? This was also the day of the Silver Chocobo Festival! Tad had told me that a lot of people gather up to the place where the silver feather last came to ('cause there was a chance it could actually return here). So, there weren't going to be many people in Costa del Sol! I shook my fists around and grinned in victory. But, I admit that I really hoped the silver feather wasn't going to come to Kalm. There could be a chance it would arrive at my party! I would really love that!

I hopped away from the window and tugged Papa's sleeve. He looked down and pointed to the phone placed on his ear. I covered my mouth and sat next to him on the couch. It kind of sounded like he was talking to Uncle Cid… what with all the yelling. Papa laughed and said,

"Still workin' on The Sierra I see, eh? Well, you know what you havetah do later."

I tilted my head at that. Do…what? I drummed my fingers on the armrest and tried to listen to the conversation, but Papa had already finished talking.

"Papa? What were you talking about?" I wondered.

"Oh, Cid said he would do the honor of taking all your guests to Costa del Sol!" he smirked at that. "Since he is such a good guy and all."

I smiled nervously and cleared my throat. "And, how are we going to get there without Uncle Cid's help?"

"Shera will be flying us there with the Tiny Bronco. We still need to prepare," Papa kneeled down in front of me. "So, getcher new outfit on and gather your beach stuff. They should be in your closet."

"Okay!"

I ran up the stairs and dashed straight to my room. I opened my closet doors and immediately spotted my blue dress. My eyes glanced around, finally noticing my new bathing suit neatly folded up on the shelf. I squealed and plucked it right out. Since when had Papa bought me a new swimsuit? It was a solid light pink color and it had a picture of a Chocobo in front (it kind of looked like Raizon…). I hugged the suit tightly and thanked Papa silently. I placed the swimsuit on my bed and slowly put on my blue dress. It actually felt really comfortable than my pink one. I twirled around, making my dress poof up in the air. Then, I skipped around my room and opened my windows. A huge gust of wind blew across me, as well as the sound of people talking to others. The Silver Chocobo Festival sure was getting underway. Pretty traditional-looking torches were surrounding Kalm and I noticed booths for food, games, and such, were forming on the bottom level. I sighed to myself. Whatever happened to the last couple that received the silver feather? I shook my head at that thought. Now wasn't the time to let my mind wander! I gathered up my beach things and headed down to the living room.

There, I met Shera. And… she wasn't wearing her lab coat anymore! Every time I saw her (which was rarely, but I still remember), she always had her white coat on. But now, she was wearing a light blue tank top and shorts. I smiled and greeted Shera with a hug. She smiled and did the same.

"Happy Birthday, Marlene! My, you look so adorable in your new outfit!" she said happily.

I placed my hands behind my back. "Thank you! And, I'm so glad that you could come as well!"

"Yeah, Cid said he wanted me to come. Strange… he was acting funny when he said that. But, I would never miss your birthday!"

I blushed and giggled strangely. Papa suddenly came into the room with two beach bags. His was practically filled to the top. He placed the bags on the ground as he filled the empty bag with my things. A loud sigh escaped from his mouth as he made a fist in front.

"This is the day I'll beat the Cloud Team!"

I blinked. "the… 'Cloud Team'?"

"Shyeah! Last time we went to the beach, Cloud, Tifa, and Yuffie beat me without even flinching! And I was stuck with Vincent, and Cid. What the heck! You're supposed to hit the ball… not run away from it!"

Shera giggled. "I'll be rooting for you then."

"Me too!" I squealed.

"Well then," Shera opened the front door and turned to us. "You guys ready for Costa del Sol?"

I smiled and nodded my head. "Yes!" At long last! I could finally see how Costa del Sol actually looked like up close and personal!

The trip there was really short, but I enjoyed it a lot! From above, Kalm was looking so lively! The torches were already lit (in the morning?) and if you squinted real hard, you can see that the flames actually formed into a Chocobo! So cute! I also noticed that the other towns were getting lively as well. As soon as we arrived in Costa del Sol, it was incredibly hot! I felt like I was gonna melt if I stood in one place. But, Papa said that once you got used to it, you wouldn't feel hot anymore.

We finally entered through the gates. There weren't a lot of people… just as I suspected! I twirled around as people from inside the building greeted me with smiles. Costa del Sol looked so much fun! I couldn't wait to jump into that clear ocean! But, Papa said we had to prepare first.

We headed inside the bar where the owner helped us move a few tables together. I helped Shera put up the pretty streamers she brought as Papa was busy placing table sheets on the tables. I think we spent a good two hours inside, but the results were amazing! Finally, we headed outside and rested on top of the bridge. The cool breeze felt so nice, I just wanted to stay there forever. I turned to Papa who was busy hanging his head over the bridge. He must've been exhausted. I quirked an eyebrow up and tapped his shoulder.

"Papa! Is it okay if I look around for a while?"

He just mumbled in response. I made a face and sighed. Shera patted my head and smiled. "I'll come with you, Marlene."

"Ah! Thank you!"

I tugged Shera to where some kids were playing volleyball. I actually never played it before, but it seemed so much fun! Maybe I could play with Papa and everyone else later! That reminded me…

"Shera? When is everyone going to come?"

She lifted her arm and stared at her watch. "Well, they should be arriving pretty soon. It's almost three."

"Ah, okay!" I paused then turned to Shera again. "Have you ever heard of the Silver Chocobo?"

She smiled. "Oh, yes! I remember ten years ago… I was visiting a friend in Kalm. I had no idea that there was a festival going on. So, she told me all about it. And then, that night, I saw it fluttering down to that couple," she sighed and had a dreamy look in her eyes. "I wish something romantic like that would happen."

"Maybe it'll come for you tonight!"

Shera blushed and flapped her hands around. "O-Oh, t-that's not possible."

I sighed and shrugged my shoulders. I think it was obvious that Shera and Uncle Cid both liked each other. I paused and turned away. Now, that got me to wonder. The feather only comes to those that don't even _seem_ like a couple. I smiled at the thought. It could possibly happen. I shook out of my thoughts and tugged Shera into the shade (she was busy daydreaming). The feather may not come to me, but I would love to see it fluttering down.

A gust of wind suddenly formed, revealing the Highwind landing off in the distance. I gasped and tugged Shera to Papa. He seemed to notice the airship as well. Soon, everyone that I had invited entered the gates of Costa del Sol. Tifa and Cloud were the first to greet me.

"Marlene! Happy Birthday! Oh my gosh! You look so adorable!" Tifa hugged me tight.

I gasped for air. "T-Thank you, T-Tifa! I really missed you too!"

Cloud smiled and patted my head. "You sure are growing up fast! Why, I remember when you were still in diapers…"

I blushed and gently punched his shoulder. "C-Cloud!"

"So, this is the birthday munchkin, eh?" A man with red hair lifted me up from the back. I kicked around while he was busy laughing. I had a really huge hunch that he was the Turks. He finally set me down and crouched down. "Yo! I'm Reno."

I made a face. "Nice to meet you…" I mumbled. He just patted my head and gestured his friends to come in. A woman with short blonde hair greeted me with a kiss on the cheek while a tall man nodded his head. I twirled around and found myself face-to-face with…

"Uncle Vincent!" I immediately wrapped my arms around his neck as he stood up. "I missed you so much!"

He patted my back and replied, "Happy Birthday, Marlene."

That's when I noticed something. He was wearing different clothing. He was had a white on T-shirt with a picture of a dragon on it, and he was wearing his usual black pants (wasn't he hot wearing those?). Also, it didn't look like he brought any beach things. I shrugged it off. That's Uncle Vincent! I leaned over his shoulder and spotted Nanaki, Yuffie, Cait, and even Tran and his friends! But… I didn't see Damian at all. I frowned and hung my head over. I guess… he wasn't coming after all. Uncle Vincent set me on the ground and walked toward Papa.

"Happy, happy birthday!"

I smiled nervously at Cait Sith. "H-Hey…"

"Meowr! You shouldn't be nervous in front of me!"

I lifted the black cat and shook him around. "I. Am. Not. Nervous! You're just… very weird!"

"Aw, don't worry 'bout him," Yuffie snickered and placed the cat on Nanaki's back. "He's just being a poopy head!"

"No! You're the poopy head!"

Nanaki sighed and bowed his head. "Sorry, they were arguing earlier," he lifted his head and smiled. "Happy Birthday."

"Thanks you guys," I turned to Tran. "I'm really glad you could come too!"

He brushed the tip of his nose. "Aw, it was nothing. Didn't wanna miss Damian's girlfriend's party!"

I sighed. He was getting so annoying now. "Yeah… anyway. Do you know where Damian is?"

"Well, actually… he said… he'll come in a little later."

I widened my eyes at that. "R-Really? H-He's really coming?"

"…ye-"

"Yippeee! Oh! I can't wait anymore!" He was coming! He was actually going to come! I was so excited that I never even noticed I was blocking the entrance! After a few more seconds, I skipped inside, thinking about it some more (people were giving me strange looks, but I didn't care!). I made my way inside the bar and met up with Uncle Cid (I never even noticed him coming inside…). I walked up to him and tugged his baggy shorts. He grinned and lifted me onto his lap.

"Hey-o! Happy Birthday…oh!"

I giggled. "Thanks! Ah… sorry you had to do all the dirty work…"

"Nah, 'sides, The Sierra could wait. I haven't been doing much with it anyway."

"Yeah, you lazy ol' bum!" Papa said as he walked up to him. "You really need to get out more!"

"SHUT THE F… I-I mean… ugh!"

Papa snickered. Uncle Cid banged his hand on the table and groaned. "I had a long day so… leave me alone for a while," I nodded to Papa and headed outside. The sun was blazing hot, but I didn't feel hot at all! What I really wanted to do was jump into the ocean! I headed down to the beach and spotted Tran and his friends in the water. I crouched down in front and patted the cold waves coming on shore. Tran noticed me and walked up.

"Hey, hey! Why don't you come in!"

"…in my new dress?"

"No, you weird-o!" Tran's friend said. "Getcher bathing suit on or something!"

I frowned. "But… Papa said not to swim without any adults around…"

"LOOK OUT BELOW!"

I turned around and spotted Yuffie running my way. She leaped up into the air and splashed hard into the ocean. Luckily, I didn't get wet. Tran and his friends then smirked at me. I smiled nervously.

"Well, there's an adult," another friend said.

"…m-maybe later…"

He splashed water to me at that. I tried moving away but the wet sand made me fall back down. Tran's friends gave out a loud laugh. I bit my lower lip and tried wiping away the sand on my new dress.

"She's just scared!"

Tran pushed his friends into the ocean and growled. "Quit it!" he came up to me and helped me up. "Sorry, 'bout that. They're like that sometimes."

I shook my head. "No, that's alright. I'll come in later, though!"

He smiled. "Okay, then. Just be prepared!"

I nodded at that and got back on my feet. Maybe… now wasn't the best time to go back to Papa. If he saw my dress looking like this, he would definitely throw a fit. I sighed at that. But, if I didn't do something, I'd get caught anyway. As I turned around, I saw Tifa, Cloud, and Uncle Vincent making their way to the beach. Tifa was the first to see me as she waved her arm around. I ran up to her.

"Marlene! What happened to your dress?" she asked in a worried tone.

"O-Oh, it was nothing. I was just playing in the sand," I quickly responded.

Cloud lifted an eyebrow. "Is that truly true?"

"…uhm… yes?"

Uncle Vincent kneeled in front of me and examined my dress. "Were those kids fooling around with you?"

I shook my head. "No they weren't! They just wanted to play."

Tifa took my hand and headed straight to the Inn. "We need to clean you up before Barret finds out."

A few hours rolled by, and everything was going really smoothly! I hung around Tran most of the time, because… well, they were the only kids my age there. I still haven't swum in the water yet, but pretty soon I will! Papa said that after his volleyball match, he would come in. Everyone gathered around the court as the 'Cloud Team' and Papa's team came into the center. Uncle Cid looked ready to go but Uncle Vincent didn't even seem interested. Papa shook his shoulder and scolded him about hitting the ball right. He just shrugged and turned away. Cloud was the first to serve the ball.

"Service!" he hit the ball perfectly to the other side. Papa was the first to hit it to the other side, but Tifa came out of nowhere and came for the ball. It was coming to Uncle Vincent but he didn't respond. The ball hit the ground, giving the 'Cloud Team' a point. Uncle Cid clenched his fists and growled.

"Vincent! You were supposed to hit the ball!"

He sighed. "I told you that I cannot play with my claw. That's why you will always lose."

Papa smacked his forehead and sighed. "Well! Use your other hand or something!"

"And break it?"

"Gah! Enough!" Uncle Cid passed the ball to Cloud. Cloud served the ball once again, and they received yet another point. I smiled nervously and turned away. I didn't want to look anymore. And, I think Tran was thinking the same thing. We quietly left the area and walked to the beach. There was absolutely no one there! Costa del Sol was practically ours for the day! We sat underneath an umbrella and remained silent. It felt kind of awkward… like when I was with Damian. I sighed and turned to Tran.

"Thanks for coming again. That really means a lot to me."

He sighed. "Ah, it was no problem. But, why did you invite me? I would think you wanted to be alone with Damian."

I growled. "I don't like him _that_ way! Besides, I had a feeling that if I only invited adults, it would get kind of boring."

"Oh, so we're your… entertainers?"

I smiled. "You… can say that," I stood up and helped Tran to his feet. "Maybe he's on his way! Come on! Let's look!"

Tran looked away. "U-Uhm… I think you should know…"

"Let's go!" Before I could move, he grabbed my arm tightly. I flinched and turned to him. "W-What?"

"…he… isn't coming."

I widened my eyes and stepped away. "N-No… you said he was coming!"

Tran paused and shook his head. "I-I mean… he isn't coming… _yet_! C-Come on! Let's watch the rest of the game!" he tugged my arm and I followed after him. He was hiding something. And… it had something to do with Damian.

* * *

A/N: End of chapter 10! Y'know, in volleyball… I'm always stuck with people who actually DO run away from the ball. (mumble) E-VILE! Hm… now it gets complicated. Marlene and Tran. (ponder) They're so cute together! But… w-what about Damian? (rubs head) WHERE IS HE, DARNNIT! (calms down) I know what happens! (mumble) Find out next chapter! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and please tell me how you thought of it! 


	11. Bright Stars and Feathers

A/N: Yah-hoo! Finally! Prepare for the final chapter of _My Little Star_! Yes, tis the last chapter. I'm really dreadfully sorry to keep you waiting. Blame school. (sigh) Since one of my classes is Creative Writing, it's gonna be tough to write stuff there and here and blah blah. Eeh… But, I'll try to update my stories every weekend. How does that sound? (smile)

Thank you so much for reviewing, everyone! You guys inspired me to keep going! I hope you enjoy this last chapter!

Disclaimer: NOTHING! NO! NAHDAH! ZIPPO! MEH.

**My Little Star **  
Chapter Eleven ****

**_Final Chapter _**

Bright Stars and Feathers

The sun was already setting… and still… Damian hadn't arrived. I kept telling myself over and over that he was definitely coming. But somehow, the more I thought about it… the more I felt sick to my stomach. This feeling was much different than whenever Papa left me behind. I felt… empty.

I peeked over my shoulder and spotted Tran playing with his friends. He had been acting very strangely. Whenever I brought up Damian, he would always change the subject. I began to wonder if what he said to me was true; that… Damian really wasn't going to come…? I shook the thought out from my head. There was still plenty of time for Damian to show up! It was only six in the evening.

"Watch out, Marlene!"

Just then, a (luckily…) soft volleyball hit right into my face. I just blinked and looked around with a confused face on. That was when I realized I was playing catch with Cloud, Tifa, and Uncle Cid. Tifa slowly made her way through the water and kneeled in front of me.

"Are you alright, Marlene?" she asked me.

I nodded. "Y-Yeah."

"This is the third time Cid hit you in the face," Tifa made a face at that. "Are you _sure_ nothing is bothering you?"

(the ball hit me three times? Where have I been…?) I looked away and patted the water. "I… think the water's just too cold for me," I lied. It was actually quite warm. I ran towards the shore and turned to Tifa and the others. "I'm gonna change!" I yelled to them before I made my way to the Inn. I think I had enough fun outside for now.

As I made my way past the bridge, I noticed a dark figure staring outside the Inn window. I squinted my eyes, finally realizing that it was Uncle Vincent. He looked a little disturbed. His dark red eyes shimmered so brightly, as if he had been crying (of course he wasn't). He turned away and began talking to himself. I perked my head up as I heard another voice respond. It sounded like Nanaki. I wondered what they were talking about? I knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but they sounded really serious. I hurried inside the Inn and made my way down the hallway. I pressed my ear against the door of their room and remained silent.

"Why Tran would do such a thing is simply a mystery," Nanaki sighed. "He just doesn't have the heart to say it to anyone."

"Perhaps it was because he doesn't want to see Marlene upset?"

I blinked and stepped away. Upset? Upset about what? I leaned forward and continuing listening.

"I overheard Damian and Tran talking about Marlene, right after you guys left. And, even though Damian cares deeply for Marlene, it was his choice not to arrive to this party. Apparently, his brother and Trinity were about to prepare for their wedding outside of Cosmo Canyon. And, of course, Damian would never let them go without him being with them. Although he realizes what he had done to Marlene, his family means a lot to him. The last thing Damian said to Tran was this:

'Whatever you do, do not tell Marlene that I can't come. Even if someone kills you for not telling. I don't want Marlene to be upset at me. Do this as a favor for me.'"

I clenched my fists together and shook my head. No! That couldn't have been true! I knew that Damian really cared about his brother and Trinity… but! I backed into a wall and continued shaking my head.

"Then that means," Uncle Vincent finally answered. "…they never received Marlene's invitation."

My eyes widened. Everything… started to make sense. I delivered my invitations one day after I came back from Cosmo Canyon. And Damian left earlier. So that meant… Tran… told me the real truth about him. I guess I knew how Tran felt when Damian told him not to tell his secret to me. That took a lot of strong will power, but still… it wasn't the best choice to make. I actually wouldn't have been angry at Damian… but to Tran. He lied to me. I hung my head down and turned away from the door.

Suddenly, the it opened. Just when I was about to move out of the way, I tripped over my own feet and fell flat on my bottom (who does that?). I groaned as something fuzzy pressed against my cheek. It was Nanaki.

"Are you alright, Marlene?" he asked in a worried tone. "Did we startle you?"

I shook my head really fast. "N-Nope! I was just… running through the hallways and I fell over... ehehe."

Uncle Vincent lifted an eyebrow at that. "I never heard anyone run through here."

"U-Uh… I was… quietly running…?"

He sighed and kneeled in front of me. "Marlene, were you listening to our conversa-"

"N-No I wasn't! I… was just… u-uhm-!" At that moment, I just wanted to run away, but Papa always said not to run away from problems. I stepped away from Uncle Vincent and fidgeted around. The next thing I knew, Tran was making his way towards me. I didn't even bother to turn around. Somehow, I knew it was him.

"Marlene!" he said. "It's time to eat cake and open presents!" he tugged my arm but I pulled away from him.

"L-Leave me alone!" I yelled, finally turning to face him. "Just go away!"

"Marlene!" Nanaki growled. "What's happened to you?"

Tran stepped back. "M-Marlene?"

I felt slight teardrops rolling down my face. I gasped and immediately brushed past Tran to my room. I just wanted to be alone for a while.

After I changed into my regular clothes, I stared out my window and watched everyone enter the bar (for about ten minutes or so…). To be honest, I never really meant what I said to Tran before. I mean, I _was_ upset about him lying to me, but I felt so guilty about my attitude. I guess I was obsessing more about Damian than having fun with the people at my party. But, I still feel a little empty without him.

I clenched my fists and hopped away from the window. "Alrighty, then!" I said with a grin. "I'm gonna go down and have some fun! But first… I need to talk toTran." Before I could even move, I heard a soft knock on my door. I quickly rushed over and opened it. It was none other than… Uncle Vincent and Nanaki. I stepped back and let them enter. I really hoped they weren't _too_ angry about what I said to Tran (even though, they deserved to be…). Nanaki swung his fire-lit tail around and sat on the ground.

"Marlene, we both know you've been listening to our conversation before," I was actually expecting him to be angry, but he looked worried when he said that. "Exactly… how much have you heard into it?"

I tapped the tip of my foot against the ground. "Just the part about… Damian's reasons for not coming…" he frowned. "Why didn't you tell me before when you called about my party?"

"I'm sorry, but Damian didn't want you to feel sad. But, I think he made you a little worried about him, right?"

I nodded. "More than worried," I sat on my bed next to Uncle Vincent. "Can you tell me what's been going on with Damian?"

Nanaki nodded and turned to face me. "Ever since Damian came back from Wutai, his brother and Trinity agreed that they would never lose sight of each other. A huge bond began to form that day. The day you guys came to Cosmo Canyon, the couple had already decided about planning their wedding outside of their home. Of course, Damian wanted to come, but after he heard about your party, he had to come up with one choice. And… it's obvious that he chose family over your party."

I looked away. "I… see."

"He understands how you will feel if you found out about it. Tran was only trying to protect you. But… I guess the situation grew worse."

I smiled at that thought. Tran must have cared about me as much as Damian. I guess… I should give him _some_ credit. Still, if he told me sooner, I wouldn't have been in this stinky mess. Everything would have turned out differently. I nodded and hopped off of my bed. Uncle Vincent patted my shoulder and asked,

"What are you going to do now?"

I turned and smiled to him. "I have something to say to Tran."

The bar was completely packed! I hadn't realized how much guests I invited! There were hundreds of food selections and even live entertainers! Papa showed me where I was supposed to sit (I was sitting with him, Tifa, Cloud, Uncle Cid, and Uncle Vincent). The food was really great! I had some tasty Okonomiyaki and… a little sushi (I think I was starting to like it…). So much commotion in one place, I think my eardrums exploded a long time ago! It was so much fun! (not the exploding part…)

Actually, the reason why I came inside the bar was to find Tran. I couldn't find him anywhere. I asked his friends, but they had no idea where he was either. I was starting to worry a lot. It was getting dark and Costa del Sol was practically pitch black outside. Papa said that we were going to eat some cake outside when the stars glowed brightly (sounded so romantic actually… besides, he said it was way too hot in the bar… my cake might melt!)

After I finished eating, I snuck outside to grab me some fresh air. It was so relaxing I never even realized the bright stars in the sky. They glowed a bright silver color; perhaps it was preparing for the arrival of the Silver Chocobo feather? I smiled at that thought then decided to head over to the ocean. To my surprise, I found Tran sitting all by himself. I tilted my head and hurried over to him.

"Tran!" I called out. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

He turned away and grunted. "_You_ were looking for _me_?"

I made a face at that. "Of course I was! You had me worried!" I frowned and sat next to him. "Listen, I'm sorry about before. I was being greedy. I was thinking about Damian this and Damian that."

Tran faced me. "You shouldn't be the one to say sorry. I should be the one. I lied to you… and I know I shouldn't have. But… Damian… he just… didn't want you to be sad."

I leaned forward and smiled. "But, I wasn't going to be sad even if you told me. If you told me he just wanted to be with his family, I would have understood. Besides, I'm just glad _you_ even showed up."

Tran blushed and stood up. "Yeah well… we're just your 'entertainers', a'ight?"

I giggled. "Yes, yes," I stood up and tugged Tran's arm. "C'mon! There's still a party going on!"

The evening part of my party was so much fun! The stars were glowing so brightly, we didn't even need any other source of light. It was so pretty. Papa and the Turks brought out my yummy ice cream cake! It had pink and white frosting, and of course, different flavors of ice cream in the inside! (I just wanted to sink my head in there…). Soon, everyone began to sing the 'Happy Birthday' song. Uncle Cid was having so much fun, he kept repeating the song over and over until Tifa finally whacked him with a party favor.

"Quickly!" Yuffie called out. "Make a wish before you blow your candles!"

I nodded and closed my eyes for a moment. Finally, I took a deep breath and blew out my six candles (the sixth candle was for good luck!). After I helped Papa hand everyone a slice, it was finally my turn to have one! Strawberry and vanilla goodness! I spotted Uncle Vincent in the back and ran up to him. I tilted my head. He didn't have a piece of my cake. (did I forget him…?). I smiled and lifted my slice to him. He just blinked and shook his head.

"No, thank you."

I frowned. "Aww… why not? It's so yummy!" I paused for a while then grinned. I tugged his cape. Uncle Vincent sighed then crouched down in front of me.

"Yes?"

"Waa-!" I shoved a small piece of my cake right inside his mouth! The look on his face was so funny! (it was all scrunchy!) Uncle Vincent stood up and swallowed the ice cream in one gulp. He took a deep breath, placing his hand on his chest. I smiled and nuzzled against his soft cape.

"See? It's really yummy, right?"

He patted my head. "…yes."

"Hey, oh!" Cait happily called out. "Time for the birthday girl to open her presents! Ah! Open mine first!"

I smiled nervously as Cait tugged me away. "U-Uhm…"

"Hey!" Papa growled as he lifted Cait up. "She ain't gonna open yours first! …it's gonna be mine!"

"Waa-! Not fair, old man!"

"WHAT!"

(after a few minutes of arguing…) Papa gestured me to sit in the middle of a group of people. It was present time! I smiled as Papa handed his gift to me. His wrapping paper was one of my favorites! It had penguins dancing and singing around. I carefully ripped the wrapper off and pulled out new outfits! They were so cute! So much different than the clothes I usually get. I hugged Papa and thanked him a bajillion times.

"Since you _are_ such a big girl, you deserve some big girl outfits. Oh, I just couldn't decide what outfits to get… they were all so pretty…"

I smiled nervously as Uncle Cid began to laugh at that. (ehe…) The next gift was from Tifa and Cloud. They got me a stuffed chocobo named Choco! (when you squeeze its beak, it 'kwees' at you.) I thanked Cloud and Tifa with a hug. One gift after the other, I got stuffed toys, cute outfits, sweets, a… materia holder, (…Yuffie), a toy megaphone from Cait, and a toy model of Uncle Cid's Highwind. The last gift I opened was from Tran. He got me a really pretty blue crystal that shone so brightly! It had a chain wrapped around it so I could wear it as a necklace. I smiled and thanked him. Tran just nodded then gestured for me to follow him. (everyone was busy talking so, I quickly snuck away.)

I followed Tran towards the beach. He was tugging the bottom of his T-shirt a lot. I tilted my head at him and finally asked,

"What's the matter?"

He brought both of his arms out and revealed a box in front. His head was bowed down and he was shaking. I blinked and took the box from him. The tag on it said, 'To: Marlene, from: Damian. Promise me you will always keep it close to you.'

"What's… this?" I asked to Tran.

"Before Damian left, he told me to give that to you."

I smiled and gently opened the box lid. There was only a pink ribbon inside. I pulled it out and stroked my finger against it. It was so velvety and soft. "This is so cute…"

"He said that his mother gave it to him before she passed away. She told him that whenever her ribbon is worn by someone you like, an angel would always watch over you."

I blushed at that. "W-Wow… that was so sweet. I wish he was here so I can thank him properly."

Tran smiled. "I'm sure you'll see him again sometime. And _that's_ the truth."

It was already ten at night. My party was slowly ending as my friends departed into Uncle Cid's Highwind. Of course, Shera stayed behind to fly my Papa and me back to Kalm. I took one final glance up at the dark sky. Not a single silver Chocobo feather came down to my party. I just sighed and shrugged it off. Oh well. I thought it would. I followed the rest of my friends to the Highwind as we talked about my party. I smiled and ran up to Uncle Vincent. I tugged his red cape as he turned around.

"Thank you so much for coming, Uncle Vincent!" I said happily. "That really means a lot."

"Thank you for inviting me," he paused. "But, I apologize for not giving you a gift."

I tilted my head. I never even realized he didn't give me one. I shook my head and smiled. "That's okay. Presents aren't everything."

He kneeled in front of me and took off his red headband. He placed it into my hands and smiled slightly. "You are so grown up. Please, take care of yourself and your father."

I nodded. "I promise!" I wrapped my arms around his neck and nuzzled against his cheek. "Take care, too!"

As we finally arrived back in Kalm, the festival was still going on. It was still lively as this morning! The bright torches never failed to burn out and the excitement in the air never failed to go away. I smiled as Papa and I decided to spend a little time at the festival. There were performers, music, games, anything you could think of!

Before Papa and I could enter our house, the torches surrounding Kalm suddenly died down. One of the villagers yelled out, 'It's coming! It's coming!' Did he mean the silver Chocobo feather? I tugged Papa's arm and gestured for him to follow me. This was my chance to see one at long last! A huge crowd began to form in the center of the town. I squeezed my way through, not quite sure where I was heading exactly. Suddenly, my head hit something very heard in front of me. I fell to my knees and groaned in pain.

Just then, my whole body began to glow a silver-color. A huge beam of light shone on me and… I think it on someone else too… but I couldn't see who it was. The crowds of people started to disappear as I was now surrounded by pitch black. I looked up and spotted the silver Chocobo feather fluttering down. It was so pretty! It was so sparkly and looked so magical. As soon as the feather landed on the ground, I heard a woman's voice inside my head.

'My dearest Marlene… may you live a happy life with the one person you care deeply for.'

Suddenly, the torches around Kalm burned once again. I gasped and stared at the silver Chocobo feather right in front of me. I… just wanted to see one for myself but… receiving one? I blushed and stared at the person in front of me. Our eyes met at the same exact time. We blinked and widened our eyes.

"M-Marlene?"

"D…Da…mian…?"

He smiled. "I found you."

I smiled and nodded my head. I guess… my wish came true afterall…

* * *

A/N: End of chapter eleven and MLS. (bows) I really hope you enjoyed reading my story! I might've rushed through the ending, but I thought it was cute. This part: "Uncle Cid was having so much fun, he kept repeating the song over and over." My uncle does that all the time so… I thought Cid would fit that part. Hehehe. Anyways! I was thinking of making a sequel, but nah. I think it's best to leave it like that. Makes you wonder, hm? Anywayses! I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter and story, and please tell me how you thought of it! 


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